ANTARCTIC ERUPTION

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31547, 8 December 1967, Page 12

ANTARCTIC ERUPTION

Scientist Not Surprised A British scientist visiting Christchurch was not surprised to learn of the volcanic eruption on the Antarctic island of Deception this week. In fact, he said, he predicted two years ago that it might happen, but his colleagues laughed at him. He is Dr R. J. Adie, the deputy director of the British Antarctic Survey, who will today visit American bases in the Antarctic. Dr Adie said there had been a number of earth tremors on the island in the last 10 years. Two years ago there was a severe tremor. “We have always had steam jets and hot springs, so one could safely conclude that the island was not dormant.”

Much of the eruption behaviour on Deception Island in recent years, he said, had followed the pattern of Tristan de Cunha, where in 1961 a volcano believed extinct for thousands of years erupted, causing the evacuation of the 380 islanders. Dr Adie said that some notice must have been taken of his prediction, because this year the British Antarctic Survey sent three geologists and two geomorphologists to Deception Island to study land iopography in general and volcanic disturbances in particular.

“1 have not enough information on the extent of the eruption to say whether we may need to move our base off the island. We will just have to wait and see how long the eruption continues,” he said. Channel Cut Three ice-breakers of the United States Coast Guard arrived at Hut Point, near McMurdo Station, this week after cutting a shipping channel through the ice. Two of them will now clear a docking area at Winter Quarters Bay while the third keeps the channel clear of brash. Their arrival is thought to be the earliest by ice-breakers at Hut Point in recent years. The vessels arrived there on December 3. The previous earliest date was December 5. The first supply ship, the oil tanker Alatna, is due at Winter Quarters Bay on December 29. It is due at LytItelton on December 17.