ANTARCTIC SOIL SURVEY

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29060, 24 November 1959, Page 22

ANTARCTIC SOIL SURVEY

Journey By Tractor Party (N.Z Press Association —Copi/riqhtt SCOTT BASE, November 22. ■ After being held up a day by bad weather two tractors -left Scott Base on November 19 for the Taylor dry valley area, north of Butter Point and about 80 miles north-west of Scott Base. The purpose of this trip is to take two soil experts, Mr J. McCraw and Dr. G. Claridge, to this area to study the soils and other formations and take samples. Mr McCraw is a pedologist stationed in Central Otago. Dr. Claridge is a physical chemist of the Soil Bureau laboratory, Wellington. Should time and opportunity permit they will attempt to make a sketch map of the Ross Sea Dependency illustrating soil conditions. The tractors were driven by Mr G. Ward, chief engineer, who will service the vehicles and Mr B. Sandford, head scientist at Scott Base, who are taking a break from their duties by this short field trip. Radio contact was established with the party on Friday morning when they reported they had arrived and camped at the largest of the Dailey Islands the previous night. These islands are about 25 miles south-west of the base. It is expected that the tractors will return about November 25. Mr McCraw and Dr. Claridge will stay in the field until about midDecember when they will put their equipment on sledges 15 to 20 miles to Marble Point from where they will be flown to Scott Base.