Cape Hallett

Topographic map of the Cape Hallett area

Cape Hallett is a snow-free area (Antarctic oasis) on the northern tip of the Hallett Peninsula on the Ross Sea coast of Victoria Land, East Antarctica. Cape Adare lies 100 km (62 mi) to the north.

History

In 1956, during Operation Deep Freeze II, USS Arneb was damaged by an ice floe at Cape Hallett.

On 16 October 1958, a Douglas C-124C Globemaster II (52-1017) of the USAF crashed into a 3200-foot mountain near Cape Hallett Bay while maneuvering, killing 7 of the 13 occupants. The Globemaster was on an airdrop flight from Christchurch to McMurdo Station and other navigational errors had occurred prior to the crash.[1]

Hallett Station

Hallett Station
Antarctic research station
Hallett Station Location in Antarctica
Coordinates: 72°19′06″S 170°12′35″E
Established	1956 (1956)
Dismantled	1973 (1973)
Government
• Type	Administration
• Body	IGY, United States, New Zealand
Active times	All year-round until 1964, every summer until 1975

Mount Herschel (3,335 m) in the Admiralty Mountains as seen from Cape Hallett

The cape was the location of a joint scientific base, Hallett Station, between the United States and New Zealand during the International Geophysical Year of 1957, and was manned permanently until 1964, when there was a major fire. It was then used as a summer only base until 1973. The site is currently being remediated by removing hazardous materials: fuel, and oil stored in several large tanks. This is an ongoing project which will take several years to complete.

Hallett Station was one of seven bases that the United States built for the IGY, which also included McMurdo, Wilkes, Admundsen-Scott, Ellsworth, Byrd, and Little America. [2] Of these only McMurdo and Admundsen-Scott are still operated by the 21st century.[2]

Antarctic Specially Protected Area

An area of 74 ha is protected under the Antarctic Treaty System as Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA) No.106 because it contains habitats with a rich and diverse range of plant communities that are the most extensive and representative examples known at the northern end of the latitudinal gradient of Victoria Land and the Ross Sea. Surveys have recorded 18 species of lichens and five species of mosses, dominated by Bryum subrotundifolium. Animals found at the site include, as well as four species of mites and three of springtails, breeding colonies of south polar skuas and Adélie penguins.[3]

Adélie penguin colony

A large Adélie penguin colony occupies Seabee Hook, on the west side of Hallett Peninsula between Moubray Bay and Edisto Inlet. The history of human impact on the colony through the occupation of Hallett Station, and the subsequent closure of the station, together with the availability of reliable historical data on colony population size, make the site unique and ideal for the study of impacts on, and recovery of, the colony after substantial ecosystem disturbance.[3]

See also

• List of Antarctic field camps
• Brockton Station
• Byrd Station
• Ellsworth Station
• Little America V
• McMurdo Station
• Operation Deep Freeze
• Palmer Station
• Plateau Station
• Siple Station
• South Pole Station

References

1. "ASN Aircraft accident Douglas C-124C Globemaster II 52-1017 Cape Hallett Bay". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
2. "Celebrating the 65th anniversary of the International Geophysical Year | NSF - National Science Foundation". new.nsf.gov. 2022-07-01. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
3. "Cape Hallett, Northern Victoria Land, Ross Sea" (PDF). Management Plan for Antarctic Specially Protected Area No. 106: Measure 1. Antarctic Treaty Secretariat. 2002. Retrieved 2013-03-10.

External links

• Antarctica New Zealand Hallett Base and the environment page

72°19′00″S 170°16′00″E