Activities of Japanese party in the McMurdo Sound region and the Ellsworth Mountains, 1979-1980 season

Abstract

The Japanese party consisting of seven members participated in projects for the McMurdo Sound region and the Ellsworth Mountains from October 20th, 1979 to January 23rd, 1980. The main projects of this season were : seismological observations at the summit of Mount Erebus; glaciological survey in the Allan Hills bare ice field; geological survey in the Ellsworth Mountains; and Mc Murdo Sound Sediments and Tectonics Study (MSSTS). The first three projects were carried out in cooperation with the United States. The last one was an international project organized by the New Zealand Antarctic Research Program (NZARP). An aircraft crash on the Mount Erebus, which occurred on November 28,1979,forced to curtail the projects by the United States Antarctic Research Program and NZARP, however the Japanese projects were completed with satisfaction.