THE HEART OF THE ANTARCTIC 



great part of the thickness of the Great Ice Barrier is 

 probably due to this compressed snow. 



The question still remains, as to what becomes of the 

 glacier ice which undoubtedly does feed the Barrier at 

 many spots along its western and southern boundaries. 

 For example, the great glacier, 50 miles wide, up which 

 the Southern Party travelled from the spot where they 

 were compelled to diverge from the Barrier, latitude 83° 

 South, must be discharging vast quantities of ice into 

 the Barrier. This same glacier had raised pressure 

 ridges on the Barrier surface for 20 miles out from its 

 junction with the Barrier. It is clear, too, from the fact 

 established both by the Discovery expedition and our own, 

 that the Great Ice Barrier is moving seawards. The 

 propelling force can be no other than that of glacier ice. 

 This glacier ice descending from the inland plateau must 

 also move seawards, but as it gets nearer to the Great 

 Barrier ice chfF it becomes weighted down with a vast 

 thickness of superincumbent snow, and it is quite possible 

 that under these conditions a great deal of it may be 

 thawed off from below by the sea water. 



The question here suggests itself, does the water circu- 

 lating beneath the Great Ice Barrier ever have a tem- 

 perature high enough to thaw fresh water ice? It does, 

 of course, thaw the sea ice quite rapidly. 



(4) Inland Ice and Neve Fields. — Reference has 

 already been made to this type of ice under the head of 

 " Glaciers," in the description of the Mount Nansen 

 Glacier. The great glacier discovered by the Southern 

 Party between 83° 33' South and 85° South, over 100 

 miles in length and 50 miles in width descended about 

 6000 ft. in that distance from a vast inland snow plateau. 

 This plateau is identical with that traversed by Captain 

 Scott's party of the Discovery expedition, on their western 

 journey in 1903. It is identical ako with Mie plateau 



302 



