Hallett Station to be closed

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33058, 27 October 1972, Page 14

Hallett Station to be closed

Hallett Station, one of the original International Geophysical Year stations, and which was run jointly by the United States and New Zealand from 1957 to 1965, will be closed at the end of this summer. This decision was confirmed by a National Science Foundation spokesman in Washington this week. Between 1957 and 1964, the scientific leadership at the station alternated between the two countries, with the United States Navy providing logistic support. In March, 1964, fire destroyed the main scientific buildings. Since then, the station has been occupied by American scientists during the summer months only. Before the fire, it was a yearround station. Hallett Station had a complete laboratory for biological research. Other scientific studies carried out there have included aurora and airglow, geomagnetism, cosmic ray, meteorology, and seismology. Since the 1964 fire, the station was used mainly as a communications and weather-reporting station on the air route between Christchurch and McMurdo Station. It also provided an alternative landing field in case Williams Field in McMurdo Sound was closed.

Located some 400 mlies north of Scott Base, the station is situated on a promontory in Moubray Bay facing the Victoria Land mountains. This promontory is also the home of up to 100,000 Adelie penguins. Mr R. B. Thomson, superintendent of the Antarctic Division of the D.5.1.R., said that as far as New Zealand . was concerned it had no : future plans to work at i Hallett Station, and had not ■ carried out any research there for three years. The decision to close the . station was really one for the Americans, he said.