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In late February 1971, Askin and Barrett, who had just returned from the VUWAE 15 expedition, and Kyle prepared a proposal containing two independent programmes for submission to the March meeting of the Ross Dependency Research Committee (RDRC). Both programmes were approved and passed on to Antarctic Division, D.S. I. R. The programmes were summarized thus:
Two parties are proposed for VUWAE 16. Proposal A is for a four-man party to study the McMurdo Volcanics and basement rocks in a small area on the eastern edge of the Evans Neve, north Victoria Land. The area can be reached only by C-130 Hercules but it may be possible to combine with Dr. Laird's DSIR party for this. Field time is approximately two months.
Major requirements from Antarctic Division are:-
It is also proposed that two of the men spend the last month of the season on studying the volcanic rocks of Mount Discovery with helicopter support.
Proposal B, which is for a project quite independent of Proposal A, is for 6 personnel to study Beacon and Ferrar rocks just west of the Dry Valleys, between the Skelton Neve and the Mackay Glacier. Seven localities will be reached by helicopter and one area by Hercules. Field time will range from about one to two months.
Major requirements from Antarctic Division are:-
Requirements for both parties (total requirements):-
The expected official government approval for the New Zealand programme, normally given in May, did not come, and it was not until late June that Government's decision to cut the entire field programme was made known. However, after several representations from RDRC, a reduced programme from Waikato and Victoria Universities was allowed.
In the meantime Antarctic Division had not been able to obtain a field leader with Antarctic experience for Kyle's north Victoria Land programme. Dr. Laird, N. Z. Geological Survey, who had had two season's sledging experience, and had planned work in a nearby area, was approached, and agreed to lead the party. However the planned time in north Victoria Land was reduced to five weeks and Kyle's work on the volcanics around McMurdo Sound was extended.
The Beacon project was reduced to a party of four for a field season of two months, though substantially the same programme was planned. The final schedule for both programmes was submitted in mid-August after many changes. In addition a table of flight requirements, weights, destinations and dates (Appendix I), and a table giving the exact latitude and longitude, map elevation and surface conditions of each proposed landing site were submitted to Antarctic Division along with the programmes. Details of programmes and logistic support were then discussed with the Scott Base Leader, Mr. Barker, and Mr. Thomson, Antarctic Division, just before and during the training week at Lake Tekapo in late August.
The two parties for the 1971-72 season were made up as follows:-
When Barrett returned to New Zealand on December 22, Chinn became field leader of the southern party, Askin the scientific leader, and David Bamford, D.S.I.R. field assistant, joined the party for the rest of the season.
Applications for two field assistants were called for in the Geology Department and about twelve applicants responded. Selection was delayed until mid-July as a result of the late decision to implement the programme, and Messrs. Bright and Trustrum were selected. All attended the Antarctic Training Week at Tekapo in mid-August 1971, and both enjoyed and benefited from meeting the other participants in the 1971/72 NZARP programme.
The vaccination requirements for Antarctic visitors were fulfilled by party members, and generally the reaction was alight, though the typhoid injections gave some members a sore arm for a day.
Trustrum's reaction to typhoid was considerably worse and required medication. Dr. Fleming, Medical Director of Student Health, subsequently wrote to Antarctic Division (Oct. 26, 1971) expressing concern at being required to give typhoid injections, as in his opinion the protection is unnecessary in Antarctica.
In addition to Trustrum's reaction to typhoid he also suffered a severe reaction to smallpox. This was described as being a 'post-vaccination' encephalo-myelitis. Trustrum responded quickly to treatment given him for his encephalitis, and within a short time was able to resume study. By the time he left N. Z. for Antarctica it was thought he had recovered sufficiently to take part fully in the expedition's work.
However, shortly after arrival in Antarctica he suffered a relapse of his post-vaccination encephalo-myelitis and he returned immediately to New Zealand. He has now fully recovered.
It was by that time too late to obtain a student replacement, and Alwyn Chinn joined the party earlier than had been planned.
A grant from the University Grants Committee was used to pay for food, clothing, camping items, travel and freight, and to cover insurance of personnel and instruments. The University Council provided financial support for the student geologists.
Many items were already available in VUWAE store. They included ice axes, sleeping bags, anoraks, Mead tents, and kitchen gear. New purchases to replace worn or broken equipment were made. Mr. Frank Askin constructed four fine sturdy kitchen boxes for only the cost of the materials. Antarctic Division provided expensive or specialist equipment, including motor toboggans, sleds, polar tents, down clothing and radio transceivers. Antarctic Division also clothed D.S.I. R. personnel.
Food for the field was purchased from Antarctic Division as 20-man-day boxes and VUW supplimented with rolled oats, fresh meat, tinned fruit, cake and chocolate. The variety and ease of preparation of the supplied food was good, though there was general agreement that the milk ration could have been increased by 50%.
Petrographic examination and detailed geochemistry will be carried out by Kyle on the material collected and the data will be used as part of Kyle's Ph.D. thesis.
On the evening of November 10 Jennings and Kyle with two Polaris toboggans and two Nansen sledges travelled to Cape Evans. During the journey numerous toboggan stoppages were caused by air locks in the fuel line and oil leaking from a gear box. Camp was finally made by 0300 hours on November 11. Later the same day a trip to Cape Royds was made to obtain paleomagnetic core samples. Initial difficulties with frozen valves in the pressure pump were overcome, but the radiometrically dated site proved unsuitable for obtaining good cores. On November 12 further toboggan repairs were necessary when a drive sprocket key broke. A toboggan was brought from Scott Base by power wagon to replace the machine with a leaking gear box. The afternoon was spent sampling Inaccessible Island. On November 13 while attempting to find a route up Mt. Erebus from Cape Barne a toboggan lost its track. Repairs took 6 hours after returning to Cape Evans for spare parts. Sampling and inspection of Mt. Cis (400 m) was completed during this time. The party returned to Scott Base the following day.
The afternoon of the 15 and 16 November were spent in sorting and packing gear, ready for an early morning flight by C. 130 into the field on the 17th. After a false start at 03.30 hours, we finally took off from Williams Field at 09.25 hours. Before landing in our field area, we carried out a brief aerial reconnaissance over the potential pick-up site between the Quartzite Ranges and over the Mariner Glacier area, noting potential sledging routes. A landing was finally made on the Evans Neve at 13.15 hours in perfect, calm weather.
On the following morning we left with two toboggans and two sledges for Mt. Overlord via the eastern flanks of the Retreat Hills, leaving one toboggan, three sledges, and most of our food and fuel in a depot at the put-in site. We reached a position opposite Mt. Gobey in the Retreat Hills by evening, and Mt. Overlord the following afternoon. Gale force winds kept us in the tents until late next morning, when we examined nearby outcrops. In mid-afternoon Andrews and Laird left Kyle and Jennings and sledged back along the tracks to the northern end of the Retreat Hills where they camped. During the following day (21 November) Laird and Andrews examined all outcrops within easy travel of the campsite. That evening Laird learnt, over the pre-arranged radio schedule with Kyle and Jennings, that the clutch assembly of their motor-toboggan had been badly damaged, rendering them immobile. In the process Jennings had received a flesh wound in the hand from a flying piece of metal. Laird contacted Scott Base and requested a spare clutch shoe assembly. At 07.00 next morning, Andrews and Laird departed for the Evans Neve depot to collect the spare motor toboggan and drive it to Mt. Overlord. After travelling 10 km they stopped to relash the sledge. While doing so there was a sudden clattering sound from the toboggan and parts of the clutch assembly exploded through the protective fibre-glass cover. The drive pulley and clutch shoe were found to be damaged beyond repair. Laird notified Scott Base of the situation and at 19.30 that evening was informed by the Leader that spare parts would be flown in as soon as possible. During the next few days some local geological work was done by Laird and Andrews, but poor weather, restriction to foot travel, and the high frequency of radio schedules limited activities. Kyle and Jennings were confined to their tent due to Jennings' injury.
An attempt to drop spare parts for both toboggans by parachute from C. 130 to the Mt. Overlord party was made on 26 November, five days after the first toboggan breakdown. Although the package landed 100 m from the tent, the parachute immediately re-inflated and was carried away by the 20 knot wind before the men could secure it. It was chased by Kyle and Jennings for 10 km, long after it was lost to sight, before they gave up the pursuit and returned to camp exhausted 6 hours later. Scott Base was notified and the Leader immediately arranged with McMurdo Station for a flight with replacement parts the following day. Although Kyle and Jennings had ample food and primus fuel, Andrews and Laird had taken only emergency supplies as they had
Kyle and Jennings quickly repaired the toboggan but high winds and whiteout conditions delayed their departure until late in the afternoon. They finally joined Laird and Andrews at 22.30 hours. Next morning Andrews and Laird retrieved all supplies from the dump further south with the toboggan, and then the whole party sledged to the abandoned toboggan. The clutch unit was quickly replaced and they sledged out to the Evans Neve depot, arriving there late in the evening.
During an examination of all three toboggans next morning, it was discovered that one of the two repaired toboggans was missing badly. It was decided, after radio consultation with Scott Base mechanics, that the coil was faulty. The coil cover could not be removed as we possessed no gear puller. This item had been included in the abortive parachute drop, and no other was available at Scott Base.
The following day (1 December) we took the two functioning toboggans to the southern Pleiades, 15 km distant, where we examined the volcanic sequence. A whiteout immobilised us on the 3rd, but on the 4th we sledged to the north, examining outcrops on the north-western flanks of the Pleiades and then made our way round the head of the Mariner Glacier to outcrops on the east side. These we reached without incident on the evening of 5 December. After spending five days in this area, during which we measured and sampled fossiliferous sections in the Bowers Group, we moved back to The Pleiades where we camped on the evening of 11 December. The following day and a half were spent examining exposures at the northern end of The Pleiades, thus completing the studies in this area, and a return to the Evans Neve depot was made on the afternoon of 13 December.
We received permission from Scott Base to abandon the malfunctioning toboggan and some fuel, and stripped the toboggan of all usable parts. We then sledged north across the Evans Neve and camped that evening at the southern end of the Salamander Range. Next morning was spent examining the geology in this previously unexplored area, and the afternoon was spent travelling to nunataks near Sphinx Peak, 25 km to the east. The next two days (16th and 17th) were spent examining the Bowers Group in the area. On 18 December we broke camp and split into two groups to speed the geological work.
All nunataks between Sphinx Peak and the Quartzite Ranges were examined before camp was finally made between the East and West Quartzite Ranges in whiteout conditions with snow falling thickly. Next day Kyle and Jennings examined exposures in the West Quartzite Range, while Andrews and Laird studied and measured the type section of the Camp Ridge Quartzite in the East Quartzite Range.
Pick-up was arranged for 20 December but the weather deteriorated. VXE-6 attempted a pick-up but the pilot reported complete cloud cover over our area. Next evening in perfect weather the C. 130 landed, and after a deviation over Hallett Station to drop the long-awaited mail, we landed at Williams Field without incident and reached Scott Base at 20.00 hours.
Jennings and Kyle were flown to Cape Bird on December 27. A stomach illness contracted at Scott Base caused several delays over the next three days when periodic confinement to bed was necessary. During this time, however, 9 sites were drilled to obtain oriented paleomagnetic cores. On the evening of December 30 we stayed with the biologists at Cape Bird station and in the afternoon of the following day were moved by icebreaker helicopter to Cape Barne. Two flights were necessary to transport all the gear.
At Cape Barne it had been hoped to drill three sites for paleomagnetic cores, but in all cases shattered and jointed rock made this impossible. Roughly oriented block samples were obtained. Mechanical problems with the sampling drill and bad weather necessitated a return to Scott Base on January 2 rather than a transfer to Fang Glacier, Mt. Erebus, as was originally programmed. Again two flights by icebreaker helicopter were necessary to transport the 700 lbs. of gear.
On January 3 Jennings and Kyle were flown by helicopter to Fang Glacier, Mt. Erebus (2900 m). After unloading the helicopter and establishing camp, an aerial reconnaissance of the summit of Mt. Erebus was made. A landing at 3600 m allowed us and the helicopter crew to climb to the summit crater. Severe altitude effects were noted at this elevation and the pilot, Jim Brandau, required oxygen prior to take-off and return to our camp. The following day Fang Ridge was inspected and sampled. Access was restricted by large deep wind scoops and vertical bluffs, but the several places where access was possible were considered to be representative of the whole ridge. Attempts to drill paleomagnetic cores were unsuccessful due to further mechanical problems with the drill. On January 5 we climbed the 800 metres to the summit of Mt. Erebus in 3-1/4 hours. We inspected and sampled the summit area during the descent. Threatening weather to the north required a rapid retreat to camp. Whiteout conditions closed in on reaching camp and these persisted until helicopter pick-up on January 10. It was intended to fly direct to Cape Crozier but bad weather there forced us to return to Scott Base.
After working for three days in the Scott Base area and repairing the drill we were flown by helicopter to Cape Crozier late on January 13, and drilled two sites at Topping Peak for paleomagnetic cores. This cone was visited briefly on VUWAE 14 (1969/70) by Kyle and proved to have more geological interest than was initially thought. A complex of trachyte dykes with partially assimilated inclusions of basalt are intruded through an older basalt cone. The dykes feed trachyte flows. A section was measured, along with detailed sampling, up the east flank of the cone.
Kyle Peak was drilled for paleomagnetic samples on the morning of January 14, but high winds and whiteout conditions forced us back to camp in the afternoon. These conditions continued throughout
On the morning of January 21 we were flown with a Sno-Tric toboggan and man-hauling sledge to Mt. Morning. A camp was established 3 km east of Lake Morning and the following two days were spent on local geological mapping and sampling. Whiteout conditions on January 24 prevented a proposed move of camp but this was made the next day. It had been hoped to move camp as high as possible upslope on Mt. Morning, but the lack of traction and power of the Sno-Tric toboggan resulted in a gain of only 150 metres in altitude. This was disappointing for it reduced the accessible area for study.
Geological work in the area SW of Lake Morning was accomplished on foot on January 26 and the eastern areas of exposed rock on Mt. Morning were investigated on the following two days. On January 28 while returning from an altitude of 1700 m on Mt. Morning the track on the Sno-Tric toboggan came off, but was repaired satisfactorily. However further downslope the toboggan stopped when the track was jammed against the chassis due to a broken axle. Repairs were impossible so we stripped the toboggan down for helicopter pick-up and walked for two hours back to camp. The following day we informed Scott Base of the toboggan failure and requested a return to Scott Base. This meant that several areas remained unvisited as they were beyond walking distance from the camp and could only be reached by toboggan. We returned to Scott Base by helicopter on January 30.
On November 18 four helos took the party of four, Askin, Barrett, Bright and Chinn, with tents, two Sno-tric toboggans, 3 sleds, 100 gallons of petrol, and other supplies, to the foot of Mistake Peak on the north side (77° 26.1′S; 160° 12.5′E; map elevation 2550 m) arriving about 12.30. The weather was clear and calm. However the wind rose in the evening and remained most of the time until November 25 above 15 knots. Most of the geology accomplished in this period was of a reconnaissance nature, so that our work when the weather improved was more efficient.
Although the toboggans were started and mixtures adjusted as soon as we landed in the field, we had difficulty starting the engines during the period of high winds (see report by Chinn to Leader, Scott Base. We also found that even after the engines were warm they could not develop enough power initially to move the toboggan without our pushing. Fortunately the performance improved considerably after the machine had run for about 20 minutes, presumably as the rubber track limbered up. Even so toboggan 1 was capable of pulling a 400 lb. sled up a smooth slope of only 3°. Toboggan 2 soon developed a slipping clutch, which Chinn remedied by stretching the clutch springs slightly. The toboggan was not as fast (4 mph max.) but could pull half as much again up the same slope. Toboggan performance was thus adequate, but somewhat disappointing.
During the period November 26 to December 2 the weather was clear and calm and a great deal of work was accomplished. As well as local work close helo support was requested to follow a visit by filmmakers from Scott Base. The 40 minutes flying time available allowed us to reach Skew Peak, a previously unvisited and rather inaccessible peak 10 km north of Mt. Bastion. A partial section and some Triassic plants discovered during the 1 hour stop. By December 2 most of the mapping of the Shapeless Mountain area was completed and proved to be a far more difficult and complex job than had been envisaged. Also a variety of well-preserved Triassic plants, including fern fronds, bamboo-like stems, grass-like leaves, small seeds and a flower were found on a platform 2 km northwest of the summit of Shapeless Mountain. The reason for the complexity of the geology and the shapeless character of the massif is that the area was the site of major explosive volcanic eruptions 150 to 180 million years ago. These have thrown up huge blocks of Beacon sandstone several hundred metres, tilting some to near vertical attitudes. Large dykes of volcanic breccia, representing this explosive phase were described and mapped for the first time from this part of Antarctica.
The party moved to Mt. Bastion (77° 18.9′S; 160° 26.5′E; map elevation 2450 m) on December 3, and the following day were confined to camp by whiteout and heavy snowing. From December 5 to 9 the sequences at the south end of Robison Peak and on the east ridge of Mt. Bastion were measured. The Bastion section, which extended down for 1200 m (4000') from the summit was made especially difficult by a
On December 10 the party attempted to move to Mt. Fleming, but shortly after leaving Bastion blizzard conditions developed and we successfully navigated by compass to the Mistake Peak base. The weather cleared early next morning and we moved immediately to Mt. Fleming (77°32.8′S; 160°06′E; map elevation 2150 m). As soon as camp was established work was begun and we measured and mapped until late evening. By the following morning the blizzard had picked up again, and did not subside until 1900 hours. We then set out to complete the essential description at Fleming, and recovered 200 lbs. of excellently preserved Glossopteris leaves at a locality discovered the previous evening. In addition Glossopterid leaves were found in continuous sequence with and only 30 cm above the glacial beds, thus providing an opportunity to determine the age of the tillite more or less directly for the first time. Suspecting that the weather would not last, we rose after a brief sleep (Dec 13/0800) and while Askin and Bright completed the remaining essential descriptions Barrett and Chinn began moving camp and making a trail of rocks towards Mistake Peak for several miles, where a helo pick-up had been arranged for the following morning. However the fog moved in from the east at amazing speed, and by 1200 visibility was reduced to 50 metres. After a misty rendezvous with Askin and Bright the party made a temporary camp at the end of the marked route and informed Scott Base of their position. However shortly afterwards the whiteout lifted and the party arrived at Mistake Peak at 2200 ready for pickup the following day.
The December 14 pick-up was delayed for six days mainly because of indifferent weather in the pick-up area (December 16 and 17) or in the McMurdo area. The party planned to move to Mt. Feather and then be returned to Scott Base on December 21. However on December 19, when no helos were scheduled, it was decided to delay the Mt. Feather visit until the second phase of the season's work. Pick-up and return to Scott Base was affected at 1100 on December 20 on the second attempt.
On December 27 a four-man party consisting of Chinn (party leader), Askin, Bamford and Bright were flown by helicopter to Mt. Feather (77°56.1′S; 160°24′E; map elevation 2700 m). The camp was set up on a small rock platform alongside Ohio State geologists, Mayewski and Wilkinson, working on the Cenozoic Till covering the platform. We finished measuring the geological section the next day just as a whiteout closed in. It snowed very heavily during the next two days and apart from half a day's reconnaissance work along the north ridge of Mt. Feather we were confined to our tents. The weather cleared in the early hours of December 31 but cloud closed in again during the morning. One of the two helicopters which had flown out to transfer us to the next locality managed to land after which the cloud closed over. We entertained the helicopter crew for 3 hours until improving conditions enabled them to take off. The next day we again spent in our tents in 15-25 knot winds and thick blowing snow.
The party was transferred to the southern Warren Range (78° 26.9′S; 158°l7′E; map elevation 2000 m) in calmer conditions the following morning (January 2). It was found possible to move the entire party in one helicopter (minus one crew-member). It had been considered that two were necessary to move a four-man party. After setting up the camp work on the section was begun. That night Askin and Chinn walked along to a location on the plateau side of the main Warren dolerite massif. Only a few dolerite samples were collected as we were unable to climb far. The rock was very smooth and the steps much higher than usually encountered on dolerite sills. Bamford and Bright completed the stratigraphic section above the camp the following afternoon. The next day was spent waiting for the helicopter to arrive from Scott Base but cloudy weather in the McMurdo area prevented them leaving. The spectacular red-beds behind the camp were filmed and that night Bamford and Chinn successfully sampled up the lower part of the more climbable south ridge of the dolerite massif. The weather at Warren was good and we were lucky to be camped in a very sheltered hollow. Although we experienced sporadic whirling gusts throughout our stay the winds were continuously fairly high outside the vicinity of the camp.
We were moved on January 5 to Escalade Peak (78°37.7′S; 159°28′E; map elevation 1400 m). Before picking us up the helicopter had brought out a Sno-tric toboggan, fuel and a small Nansen sled and the following day the four of us travelled east on these to the Swartz nunataks where we found a substantial sized block of Arena Sandstone in a predominantly dolerite area. We described this in detail then continued in a circuitous route along the west side of the Worcester Range and back to the camp. During the next two days the stratigraphic section up the south-east ridge of Escalade Peak was measured and a toboggan trip south to Mt. Marvel made. We decided not to drive right up to Mt. Marvel as the approach was over fairly steep blue ice and fog was coming in from the north. The helicopter pick-up was
The weather remained clear and enabled us to move to Rotunda (78°0.4′S; 161°36′E; map elevation 1500 m) the following morning. The moraine platform at the NE tip of Rotunda proved too steep and rubbly, and the tents were set up on the glacier ice beneath a climbing sill to the east of Rotunda. We spent 3 full working days in this locality filming and measuring in detail the large stratigraphic section up the north-east ridge. The party returned to Scott Base at midday on January 17.
The percentage man-days spent by VUWAE 16 members in Antarctica is given above. That for toboggan parties is tabulated separately from that for helicopter-supported parties working on foot.
Kyle and Jennings were flown either by UH1N twin turbine or the smaller Sikorsky turbine helicopters on nine occasions. Kyle twice requested close support, totalling less than 2 hours, from the pilot to reach outcrops not accessible from the ground. On two other occasions close support was obtained after a request through the Scott Base leader. The support was extremely valuable and the cooperation of the pilots excellent. Twice landings were made under extremely poor weather conditions.
Two Polaris toboggans were used by Kyle and Jennings in the first two weeks of the season to collect from Cape Royds and to test the toboggans before going north to the Evans Neve. Minor stoppages were apparently caused by air locks in the fuel line. One machine developed a leak in the gear box, which was repaired at Scott Base. Another breakdown was caused by a broken drive sprocket key.
A toboggan was requested to map a large area on the slopes of Mt. Morning for the last two weeks of the season. Permission from Antarctic Division to use the new Johnson toboggan with ice cleats was denied, and the party took one of the less powerful Sno-tric toboggans. This was adequate as a personnel carrier until an axle broke, but the rubber tracks had no traction for pulling sleds on the icy slopes. This forced the party to camp at a much lower elevation than planned, and only about a third of the area could be covered.
The party was provided with three Polaris motor toboggans and five sledges. Toboggan breakdowns seriously handicapped the expedition, but the strong support of the Scott Base Leader (J. Barker), his efficiency in arranging for spare parts to be dropped, and the generally fine weather for the latter part of the trip allowed some of the planned programme to be completed. A detailed report and discussion of the damage is being prepared for Antarctic Division, but a summary is given below.
Breakdowns involved destruction of two clutch shoes and two drive pulleys, the malfunctioning of a coil, a broken steering column, and several other more minor breakages.
The damage to the clutch assemblies was the most serious and potentially the most dangerous. The toboggan used by Kyle and Jennings gave trouble after approximately 12 hours running after put-in in the Evans Neve. It would not reverse, only moved slowly in forward, and a rattling sound came from the clutch assembly. The drive pulley was removed but no malfunction was found. The engine was started (ill-advisedly, as it turned out) and the clutch shoe disintegrated, a
The clutch system of the toboggan used by Andrews and Laird disintegrated after approximately 18 hours running from the Evans Neve depot. On examination it was discovered that one clutch shoe had sheared off and in its flight ripped open the clutch pulley and the cover. Lining was absent from the inside of the clutch pulley, which was deeply scored, and it appears that the clutch shoe had snagged rivets normally covered by the lining inside the clutch pulley, the suddenly increased friction causing the shearing. The lack of clutch lining (none was found adhering to the fragments of clutch pulley, and only two small separate pieces were found in the snow) seems to have been the prime cause of the incident.
The other major breakdown was caused by a malfunctioning coil, which resulted in the abandonment of the toboggan involved because of lack of a replacement coil. The coil failure and several of the other defects, notably the fracture of the steering column may, in part, be attributable to the age of the toboggans which were purchased in 1964 and 1965. Some of last season's toboggan failures were also attributed to age and wear (Barrett and Kohn, 1971).
All air support was by twin turbine UH1-N helicopter. The Shapeless Mountain put-in was planned for C-130 because of the 4500 pound load, but was rescheduled by VX6 for four helos. In the early part of the season the limit of each helo load was normally about 1200 lbs, due mainly to lack of space. Later, the crewman was dispensed with and loads of 1800 lbs, i.e. a complete party of four and all equipment, could be moved as one. Two hours of close support was planned (Appendix I) for each of five areas and we were disappointed that close support was available on only two occasions for a total of 2 hours. This was apparently due to the heavy demands on helicopter work this season, as the requests were passed on from Scott Base.
Two Sno-tric motor toboggans were used for reaching the outcrop and moving camp. Both machines were powered by a 10 HP Kohler engine, replacing the 18 HP Sachs. The toboggans not surprisingly were underpowered, and reduced our mobility considerably (p. 16). The disadvantages of the Kohler-powered Sno-tric were clearly stated in last year's report (Barrett and Kohn, 1971), but it was not then realised that the low temperatures early in the season could incapacitate the machines due to the stiffening effect of the cold on the rubber track. A detailed report on the Sno-tric toboggans by A. Chinn has been passed to the Leader, Scott Base.
The expedition is grateful for the financial assistance provided by the University Grants Committee for equipment and supplies, and to the University Council for grants to student geologists. We are indebted to Professor Clark, Department of Geology, for his continued assistance and interest.
The pilots and crews of the U. S. Navy VXE-6 Squadron willingly assisted with the air-support provided for both parties. We thank them all for their help but particularly Hercules Cdrs. B. Campbell and G. McLoughlin and helicopter pilot Lt. Jim Brandau.
We would especially like to thank the Scott Base leader, Jim Barker, for all the help and great effort he put into making our programme run smoothly. The help of his staff in this and with our mechanical problems was very much appreciated.
We thank the Antarctic Division, Christchurch, for their assistance with logistic and clerical matters.
We are also grateful to Dennis Rainey of the Lands & Survey Department for sorting out and providing air photos.