Antarctica -- October-November 2010

Deception Island. South Shetlands. Off Antarctic Pennisula.

Taken after I got on shore (and after the whiteout conditions had died down a bit). Notice the beach is black "sand". At Telefon Bay (a landing later in the day, still in the Deception Island caldrea), the black "sand" was really tiny pebbles, perhaps slighty smaller than a BB. I'm not sure it was the same here -- Teleforn Bay may have been glacial deposit, and this beach may have been formed by a different process.

The building in the distanceis an old airplane hanger from the World War II era. The (unpaved) runway was apparently on the (now) snow-covered flatish area on the left hand side of the hanger.

Those are Gentoo penguins in the foreground (one standing, three laying on the ground).

(26 Nov 2010)