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Report on the Sixth and Seventh Victoria University of Wellington Antarctic Expedition 1962-63: VUWAE 6 & 7

[introduction]

left Lyttelton on Friday 14/12/62 on U.S.S. Arneb, and arrived in McMurdo Sould on Saturday 29/12. We stayed at Scott Base until Thursday 3/1/63, waiting for gear which was not unloaded from Arneb until 2/1. Benseman and Shirtcliffe arrived at Lake Bonney p.m. 3/1 with most of the gear, Popplewell bringing the remainder in a second helicopter flight in the evening, and base was set up in a hut at the eastern end of the lake.

4/1 and 5/1 were spent overcoming initial difficulties with ice drills and measuring techniques. 6/1 was again unproductive, much of the day being spent in the hut preparing for chemical analyses and trying without success to remedy the internal disorders of potentiometer and galvanometer.

From an early start on 7/1 good progress was made using spare measuring equipment. The daily routine consisted of making measurements in 3 holes before lunch and drilling another 3 during the afternoon, thus allowing at least 12 hours to elapse after drilling a hole before any measurements were made in it. The plan was to drill an initial line of 12 holes in the eastern half of the lake, north of the centre line, followed by 1 hole in the narrow neck joining the two halves, 3 in the western half of the lake, and finally a line of 5 in the eastern half, south of the centre line. This would have taken seven days, leaving four days at the end for such additional measurements as may have been found necessary, bottom sampling, photography of ice formations etc.

This programme was based on the initial request for two weeks in the field. Owing to transport difficulties time in the field had to be cut short, and we left p.m. Wednesday 9/1.