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50-818: The Allan Hills were mapped by the New Zealand party (1957–58) of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition and named for Professor R. S. Allan of the University of Canterbury , New Zealand . Allan Hills is referred to as the Allan Nunatak , and mapped north of Carapace Nunatak , in the memoirs of the Scott Base Leader Adrian Hayter . Both names are in the USGS listing. Allan Hills lie to

100-656: A United States Navy medical officer at McMurdo Station who treated an injured member of the expedition. 76°43′S 159°45′E  /  76.717°S 159.750°E  / -76.717; 159.750 . A valley on the southern side of Windwhistle Peak in the Allan Hills. The Allan Hills Expedition named it after the many journeys along its length. 76°44′S 159°47′E  /  76.733°S 159.783°E  / -76.733; 159.783 . An isolated ridge about 1 nautical mile (1.9 km; 1.2 mi) southeast of Trudge Valley. The Allan Hills Expedition found

150-659: A fox because of the resemblance to fox country in parts of England. 76°43′S 159°35′E  /  76.717°S 159.583°E  / -76.717; 159.583 . A fossiliferous valley lying south of Shimmering Icefield and west of Mount Walters. The Allan Hills Expedition named it after Professor Otokar Feistmantel , who made pioneering studies of Gondwana flora. 76°43′S 159°23′E  /  76.717°S 159.383°E  / -76.717; 159.383 . Rock outcrops about 2.5 nautical miles (4.6 km; 2.9 mi) west of Gadarene Ridge. The Allan Hills Expedition named this feature for Lieutenant William A. Mixon,

200-538: A proposal by the New Zealand government , in 1953, for a research base in Antarctica. Its mission was to provide support for a variety of scientific fieldwork in Antarctica. Members worked as researchers, assistants, tour guides, operators, and administrators to Scott Base . Ground was broken for Scott Base on 10 January 1957. Assembly of the base began 12 January, conducted by the eight men who first assembled

250-490: A very windy place, which made work outdoors unpleasant. All stores lying in the snow tended to get buried and there was a constant danger of them getting lost. They managed to take a number of journeys to collect seals for the dogs and to scout a route to the south. They used dogs and the Weasel tractor , and four Tucker Sno-Cats . In December 1956, Fuchs returned on Danish Polar vessel Magga Dan with additional supplies, and

300-797: The McMurdo Sound region, such as the Arrival Heights laboratory, which does atmospheric research. A two-storey, 1,800-square-metre (19,000 sq ft) building was constructed in 2005, as a commissioned work by Antarctica New Zealand. This building, known as the Hillary Field Centre, provides an area for cargo receipt and issue, general and refrigerated storages, offices, gym, briefing and training rooms, and field equipment maintenance among many other uses. Because of this new building, New Zealand's science and environmental programs have been able to expand and improve through

350-655: The South Pole . Some more of NZARP's discoveries include, Ball Glacier , Atkinson Glacier , Findlay Range , Thomas Heights , and Mount Bradshaw . In 1996, the New Zealand Antarctic Institute—also known as Antarctica New Zealand —took over the work of the NZARP. They now manage all of New Zealand's Antarctic undertakings. Only three buildings remain from the original base. The New Zealand Antarctic Institute also manages other research facilities, in

400-626: The United States Geological Survey . Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition The Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition ( CTAE ) of 1955–1958 was a Commonwealth -sponsored expedition that successfully completed the first overland crossing of Antarctica , via the South Pole . It was the first expedition to reach the South Pole overland for 46 years, preceded only by Amundsen's expedition and Scott's expedition in 1911 and 1912. In keeping with

450-565: The 1981–82 field season in the Middle Western Icefield. The Martian meteorite ALHA 77005 was collected in 1977 at Allan Hills, while ALH 84001 was collected on the Allan Hills Far Western Icefield during the 1984–85 season. ALH 84001, arguably the most famous meteorite from Allan Hills, was found in 1996 to have features in the likeness of microscopic fossils of bacteria which suggested

500-409: The Allan Hills. The Allan Hills Expedition named it after the dialect name for a badger because of the resemblance to badger country in parts of England. 76°43′S 159°42′E  /  76.717°S 159.700°E  / -76.717; 159.700 . A valley about 0.7 nautical miles (1.3 km; 0.81 mi) west of Brock Gully. The Allan Hills Expedition named it after the dialect name for

550-922: The Antarctic continent from Shackleton Base via the Pole to Scott Base, following roughly the same route as Fuchs' overland party. New Zealand Antarctic Research Programme The New Zealand Antarctic Research Programme (NZARP) was a research programme that operated a permanent research facility in Antarctica from 1959 to 1996. It was created by the Geophysics Division of New Zealand's Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), originally based in Wellington . The programme promoted research in geochemistry , zoology , geology , botany , meteorology , and limnology . NZARP began as

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600-541: The DSIR was broken up to form the Crown Research Institutes in 1992, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research took over the NZARP. In 1967, the first tetrapod remains in Antarctica were discovered by New Zealander Peter Barrett, his finding eventually lending support to the theory of continental drift . Two years later, in 1969, an NZARP party of six women became the first women to reach

650-610: The Feistmantel Valley and Mount Watters, before it splits into the northwest Tilman Ridge and the northeast Shipton Ridge. According to William A. Cassidy , describing the 1976–1977 ANSMET meteorite collecting season, "Looking across the Mackay Glacier at the great sky-blue patches of ice beyond Mount Brooke , we were looking for the first time at ice that had a tremendous upstream collecting area. We were looking at Meteorite Heaven... The closest mapped feature to

700-578: The NZARP Allan Hills Expedition, 1964, who gave the name after a similarly shaped peak in the Hokonui Hills, New Zealand. 76°42′S 159°33′E  /  76.700°S 159.550°E  / -76.700; 159.550 . A ridge extending southward from Ship Cone. Reconnoitered by the NZARP Allan Hills Expedition (1964) who gave the name because of the swine-backed appearance of the feature in profile. Features along

750-773: The New Zealand Ross Sea Support team. The New Zealand party included scientists participating in International Geophysical Year research while the British team were separately based at Halley Bay . Fuchs was knighted for his accomplishment. The second overland crossing of the continent did not occur until 1981, during the Transglobe Expedition led by Ranulph Fiennes . Preparations began in London in 1955. Over

800-877: The Permian Weller Formation outcrops. Along the Shipton Ridge, the Triassic Feather Formation lies next to the Weller, followed by the Triassic Lashley Formation, which continues from Halle Flat and Roscolyn Tor, through Toltec Butte, until the northerly end of the ridge at Lavallee Point. Ferrar Dolerite is exposed at Coxcomb Peak. Along the Tilman Ridge, the Feather and Lashley formations outcrop along

850-678: The Shipton Ridge. The Allan Hills Expedition named the feature for its resemblance to buildings of the civilization of the same name. 76°39′S 159°50′E  /  76.650°S 159.833°E  / -76.650; 159.833 . A prominent rock feature east of Halle Flat. The Allan Hills Expedition named it because of the resemblance to a pre-Roman earthwork named Maiden Castle in Dorsetshire, England. 76°40′S 159°50′E  /  76.667°S 159.833°E  / -76.667; 159.833 . A relatively flat area just southward of Coxcomb Peak. The Allan Hills Expedition gave

900-458: The Shipton and Tilman Ridges. Reconnoitered by the NZARP Allan Hills Expedition (1964) who gave the name because of its frequently nacreous luster when viewed against the sun. 76°40′S 159°35′E  /  76.667°S 159.583°E  / -76.667; 159.583 . A conical peak 1 nautical mile (1.9 km; 1.2 mi) south of Townrow Peak on the Tilman Ridge. Reconnoitered by

950-473: The South Pole, but when he had completed laying supply depots he saw the opportunity to beat the British and continued south, reaching the Pole—where the U.S. Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station had recently been established by air—on 3 January 1958. Hillary's party was just the third—preceded by Roald Amundsen in 1911 and Robert Falcon Scott in 1912—to reach the Pole overland. Hillary's arrival also marked

1000-477: The adjacent Odell Glacier is named. 76°37′S 159°50′E  /  76.617°S 159.833°E  / -76.617; 159.833 . The northernmost point of Shipton Ridge in the Allan Hills. The Allan Hills Expedition named the point after Lieutenant Lavallee, United States Navy, who assisted in establishing the expedition in the Allan Hills. 76°37′S 159°49′E  /  76.617°S 159.817°E  / -76.617; 159.817 . A valley at

1050-573: The austral summer of 1955 to 1956, Fuchs sailed with an advance party from London to Antarctica in the Canadian sealer Theron , with the purpose of establishing Shackleton Base near Vahsel Bay on the Weddell Sea , from which the trans-Antarctic expedition would begin. The Theron , like its immediate forebear, the Endurance , was trapped in the ice. Despite sustaining considerable damage, she

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1100-777: The base in Wellington, and was completed by 20 January. In 1959, the NZARP was established to work with the Ross Dependency Research Committee in the Ross Dependency (New Zealand's claim to a defined sector in Antarctica). In 1962, because of the important research being conducted, Scott Base became a permanent research station in Antarctica. The NZARP was in charge of maintaining the base. They hired people to act as field safety leaders and assist scientists during research projects. When

1150-518: The dogs protecting them from the unexpectedly severe winter conditions at Shackleton. The party of eight survived the winter with some difficulty, but in reasonably good health, and finally completed the building of the hut except for one hole in the roof, the panel for which was never found. While the hut was being constructed they lived by day in the tractor crate and slept in their tents, two men to each tent. The winter temperatures often fell well below −30 °C (−22 °F), and Shackleton proved to be

1200-419: The drift. When finally the wind subsided the giant crates of wall panels had all disappeared under many feet of drift and the unfinished hut itself was full of snow. The bay ice had broken off taking all the remaining stores with it. Much food and fuel, a couple of huts and a tractor had all gone to sea. The men tried to retrieve the crates by tunnelling under the snow; the tunnels proved to be useful kennels for

1250-607: The esteemed Joel David Ellis Watkins, —were responsible for route-finding and laying a line of supply depots up the Skelton Glacier and across the Polar Plateau on towards the South Pole, for the use of Fuchs on the final leg of his journey. Other members of Hillary's team carried out geological surveys around the Ross Sea and Victoria Land areas. It was not originally intended that Hillary would travel as far as

1300-469: The expedition was conceived and organized, but who only participated in the expedition for part of the time because of an accident. 76°41′S 159°45′E  /  76.683°S 159.750°E  / -76.683; 159.750 . A dolerite point projecting into Shimmering Icefield from the western side of Shipton Ridge. The Allan Hills Expedition named it after a similar dolerite feature, Dennes Point on Bruny Island, Tasmania. Named features along

1350-461: The feature in profile. 76°38′S 159°52′E  /  76.633°S 159.867°E  / -76.633; 159.867 . A valley just east of Coxcomb Peak. The Allan Hills Expedition gave the name after Professor Thomas Maxwell Harris who has made outstanding contributions to Mesozoic paleobotany. 76°38′S 159°53′E  /  76.633°S 159.883°E  / -76.633; 159.883 . A truncated peak east of Harris Valley in

1400-644: The feature to be continually shrouded in drifting snow and named it after the land of the Scythians which, according to the Romans, had this peculiarity in common. 76°44′S 159°38′E  /  76.733°S 159.633°E  / -76.733; 159.633 . A massive peak westward of Scythian Nunatak. The Allan Hills Expedition named it after W.A. Watters, a geologist with the expedition. 76°46′S 159°29′E  /  76.767°S 159.483°E  / -76.767; 159.483 . The highest peak at

1450-526: The first time that land vehicles had ever reached the Pole. Fuchs' team reached the Pole from the opposite direction on 19 January 1958, where they met up with Hillary. Fuchs then continued overland, following the route that Hillary had laid, while Hillary flew back to Scott Base in a U.S. plane. He would later rejoin Fuchs by plane for part of the remaining overland journey. The overland party finally arrived at Scott Base on 2 March 1958, having completed

1500-512: The geology of the area. 76°38′S 159°35′E  /  76.633°S 159.583°E  / -76.633; 159.583 . A prominent outlier of the Tilman Ridge. Reconnoitered by the NZARP Allan Hills Expedition (1964) and named after J.A. Townrow of the University of Tasmania, palaeobotanist with the expedition. 76°39′S 159°44′E  /  76.650°S 159.733°E  / -76.650; 159.733 . An icefield between

1550-536: The heavy tasks easily but the weather at Shackleton was colder and much windier than had been anticipated. When the skeleton of the hut was complete, the men positioned the crates containing the wall and roof panels around the building site. Then a blizzard began, and lasted for more than a week. The temperature dropped to −20 °C (−4 °F) and the drift around the base made it impossible to do any work outside. The men sheltered in their crate and slept in their tents which were constantly in danger of getting buried by

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1600-481: The highly controversial claim that there was once life on Mars , leading to Bill Clinton making a speech about the meteorite and its implications if the hypothesis were confirmed. Later, the microscopic features had been able to be explained via means not requiring life to be present, leading to a majority of the scientific community rejecting this hypothesis. The Jurassic Mawson Formation outcrops from Ballance Point until where these two ridges come together, and

1650-556: The historic crossing of 3,473 kilometres (2,158 mi) of previously unexplored snow and ice in 99 days. A few days later the expedition members left Antarctica for New Zealand on the New Zealand naval ship Endeavour . The ship was captained by Captain Harry Kirkwood . Although large quantities of supplies were hauled overland, both parties were also equipped with light aircraft and made extensive use of air support for reconnaissance and supplies. Additional logistical help

1700-532: The ice patch north of the Mackay Glacier was a low-lying, roughly Y-shaped ridge called Allan Hills." During his second collecting season, Cassidy camped at what he called the Allan Hills Main Icefield, "a major concentration of meteorites," and made reconnaissance visits to nearby ice patches, Allan Hills Near Western, Allan Hills Middle Western and Allan Hills Far Western Icefields. They collected their first lunar meteorite, ALHA 81005 , during

1750-421: The name after Thore Gustaf Halle, whose pioneering work (1913) on Antarctic fossil plants forms part of the scientific reports on Otto Nordenskjöld 's Swedish Antarctic Expedition of 1901-04. 76°41′S 159°52′E  /  76.683°S 159.867°E  / -76.683; 159.867 . A high rock peak southeast of Halle Flat. The Allan Hills Expedition named it after Guyon Warren, from whose initiative

1800-484: The name after W.H. Tilman, a mountaineering associate of Shipton and Odell, after whom the nearby Shipton Ridge and Odell Glacier are named. 76°36′S 159°35′E  /  76.600°S 159.583°E  / -76.600; 159.583 . The northernmost point on Tilman Ridge, the northwestern arm of the Allan Hills. Reconnoitered by the NZARP Allan Hills Expedition, 1964, and named after Marie Slopes, authority on Carboniferous palaeobotany, and hence associated with

1850-562: The name after a similar feature in Anglesey, Wales. 76°42′S 159°46′E  /  76.700°S 159.767°E  / -76.700; 159.767 . A square sandstone peak south of Punchbowl Cirque. The Allan Hills Expedition so named the peak because of the peculiar behavior of the wind in its vicinity. 77°43′S 159°44′E  /  77.717°S 159.733°E  / -77.717; 159.733 . A valley 1 nautical mile (1.9 km; 1.2 mi) south of Windwhistle Peak in

1900-608: The north of Odell Glacier , facing Coombs Hills to the south of the glacier. They are west of the Convoy Range , south of Battlements Nunatak and east of the Antarctic Plateau . Allan Hills are in the shape of the letter "Y", with the open end pointing roughly northwards, and encompassing the Shimmering Icefield. The southern end of the Y starts at Ballance Peak and proceeds northward, encompassing

1950-597: The north of Shipton Ridge, from north to south, were reconnoitered and given names by the New Zealand Antarctic Research Programme (NZARP) Allan Hills Expedition, 1964. They include: 76°40′S 159°51′E  /  76.667°S 159.850°E  / -76.667; 159.850 . The main ridge forming the northeastern arm of the Allan Hills. The Allan Hills Expedition named it after Eric Shipton, Himalayan mountaineer, because of his association with Professor N.E. Odell, for whom

2000-413: The northern end of Shipton Ridge, east of Kirkcaldy Spur. The Allan Hills Expedition named it after Doctor Edna P. Plumstead for her work on Glossopteris fossils, especially those from Antarctica. 76°38′S 159°48′E  /  76.633°S 159.800°E  / -76.633; 159.800 . A rock spur to the north of Coxcomb Peak in northern Shipton Ridge, Allan Hills, Victoria Land. The spur

2050-513: The ridge at Ship Cone and Townrow Peak respectively, but the Jurassic Ferrar Dolerite outcrops at Stopes Point, the end of the ridge. Download coordinates as: Features of the Tilman Ridge include: 76°40′S 159°35′E  /  76.667°S 159.583°E  / -76.667; 159.583 . A ridge forming the northwestern arm of the Allan Hills. Reconnoitered by the NZARP Allan Hills Expedition (1964) who gave

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2100-446: The site of where the base was to be set up. Their first task was to get all these stores from the bay ice to the base and to try to build some permanent shelter for the oncoming winter. Once some food and paraffin had been brought up and the dogs safely tethered by the base, the men started to build their hut. This proved to be far more difficult than had been envisaged – not only were the eight men insufficient in number to carry out

2150-588: The south of Shipton Ridge, from north to south, include: 76°42′S 159°47′E  /  76.700°S 159.783°E  / -76.700; 159.783 . A cirque in the southern part of Shipton Ridge, about 0.5 nautical miles (0.93 km; 0.58 mi) southwest of Roscolyn Tor. The Allan Hills Expedition gave the descriptive name. 76°42′S 159°50′E  /  76.700°S 159.833°E  / -76.700; 159.833 . A high sandstone feature about 1 nautical mile (1.9 km; 1.2 mi) southwest of Warren Peak. The Allan Hills Expedition gave

2200-488: The southern end of the Allan Hills. The Allan Hills Expedition named it for P.P. Ballance, a geologist with the expedition. 76°47′S 159°33′E  /  76.783°S 159.550°E  / -76.783; 159.550 . A long, low ridge extending eastward from Ballance Peak. The Allan Hills Expedition named to for Ivan MacDonald, field assistant with the expedition. [REDACTED]  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of

2250-508: The southern summer of 1956–1957 was spent consolidating Shackleton Base and establishing the smaller South Ice Base, about 300 miles (480 km) inland to the south. After spending the winter of 1957 at Shackleton Base, Fuchs finally set out on the transcontinental journey in November ;1957, with a 12-man team travelling in six vehicles; three Sno-Cats , two Weasel tractors , and one specially adapted Muskeg tractor . En route,

2300-517: The team were also tasked with carrying out scientific research including seismic soundings and gravimetric readings. In parallel, Hillary's team had set up Scott Base —which was to be Fuchs' final destination—on the opposite side of the continent at McMurdo Sound on the Ross Sea . Using three converted Ferguson TE20 tractors and one Weasel, abandoned part-way, Hillary and his three men—Ron Balham, Peter Mulgrew and Ellis Williams, great uncle of

2350-604: The tradition of polar expeditions of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration , the CTAE was a private venture, though it was supported by the governments of the United Kingdom, New Zealand, United States, Australia and South Africa, as well as many corporate and individual donations, under the patronage of Queen Elizabeth II . It was headed by British explorer Vivian Fuchs , with New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary leading

2400-470: Was able to free herself with the help of the Auster Antarctic floatplane that scouted a way out. In early 1956, Fuchs sailed back to London, leaving eight men to over-winter at Shackleton. The eight men of the advance party, led by Ken Blaiklock , were left on the ice, having only tents and a packing crate as shelter. Most of the stores were left on the bay ice, some two miles (3.2 km) from

2450-480: Was named by the Allan Hills Expedition after John Francis Kirkaldy (1908-90) Professor of Geology, Queen Mary College, London. 76°38′S 159°49′E  /  76.633°S 159.817°E  / -76.633; 159.817 . A dolerite elevation which overlooks the south end of Plumstead Valley in the Allan Hills. The Allan Hills Expedition gave the name because of the jaunty appearance of

2500-452: Was provided by U.S. personnel who were working in Antarctica at that time. Both parties also took dog teams which were used for fieldwork trips and backup in case of failure of the mechanical transportation, though the dogs were not taken all the way to the Pole. In December 1957 four men from the expedition flew one of the planes—a de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter —on an 11-hour, 1,430-mile (2,300 km), non-stop trans-polar flight across

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