ANTARCTIC FIND
Mummified Seal at 6000 ft
The finding of a mummified crab-eating seal at 6000 feet, and red lichens at 7000 feet, were highlights of an ascent of Mount Discovery, a 9100 feet peak 50 miles south of Scott Base, last week by Mr C. Fearon, of Christchurch, and Mr E. Svaton, of California. The seal was taken from the mountain for radiocarbon dating in New Zealand to determine its exact age. It is believed to be several hundreds of years old. This mountain was named by Captain Scott’s 1901 party after its expedition ship, the Discovery. This is the second ascent of Mount Discovery, the first having been done in the 1960 Antarctic season by a New Zealand field party. The climbers were landed among the foothills at the base of the mountain by helicopter, and made the climb in nine hours.
Mr Fearon is at present studying the distribution of Antarctic insects for the Bishop Museum, Honolulu, and this trip was planned as part of a programme to determine the highest altitude at which living insects may be found.
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Bibliographic details
Press, Volume CII, Issue 30066, 26 February 1963, Page 12
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182ANTARCTIC FIND Press, Volume CII, Issue 30066, 26 February 1963, Page 12
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