The art, science and sport of conducting scientific traverses across the Antarctic continent has advanced so rapidly during the past decade that we are making considerable progress towards understanding the main characteristics of that continent and its ice mantle. Many reports of recent work are provisional, so some changes of detail in the following account may eventually prove necessary. Nevertheless, some major features are now well established, such as the great depth of the subglacial floor to the east of the Ross Sea, and the observations that show considerable sections of the rock of East Antarctica† to be above sea level. On the other hand, the past glaciological history of the continent and the state of the present mass balance of the ice sheet still need much more investigation before we can be satisfied with the answers. The continued activity in Antarctica should result in our knowledge of the continent advancing much further during the coming decade.

On 1 January 19081 left New Zealand for Antarctica with Ernest Shackleton, in a 220-ton barquentine with auxiliary engines of 40 horse-power. Two years later, on a 750 ton barque—the Terra Nova—I left again with Scott on his famous but ill-fated journey during which the South Pole was actually reached. Half a century later I journeyed south again—in just as good company but under vastly different conditions—first in the Royal Yacht Britannia with H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh and then as the guest of the Americans on their great expedition, Operation “Deep Freeze IV”. I am the last survivor of Scott's Northern Party and first I want to give some idea of adventures at that time, for they were both varied and typical of those days, if somewhat extreme, and point well the contrast between then and now.

The major economic benefit which the U.S.S.R. derives from its Arctic territory comes from the exploitation of mineral resources. Detailed information about production has long been withheld, at least in the case of important minerals, but enough general information is available to permit a summary in broad terms of current activity in this field. Murmanskaya Oblast' is not included in the summary, because its relatively mild climate, near absence of permafrost, and favourable location render it atypical of the Soviet Arctic as a whole.

The establishment of the United States IGY stations at the South Pole and in Marie Byrd Land, with their subsequent annual re-supply, has involved the delivery of men and matériel by air on a scale previously unknown to Antarctic operations. “Amundsen-Scott” station at the South Pole was planned and executed entirely by air, with C-124 Globemasters of the United States Air Force air-dropping the great bulk of the required cargo tonnage, and Navy ski-equipped R4D and P2V aircraft delivering personnel and nondrop cargo. In the case of “Byrd” station, the bulk of the cargo was planned for delivery from “Little America V” by tractor train, assisted by skiequipped aircraft carrying personnel and some cargo to the station, and giving logistic support to the tractor trains. A considerable amount of matériel was also air-dropped by the C-124's, both cargo for the station and fuel for the tractor trains. In addition, a small amount of cargo was air-dropped for the setting up of the small summer station on the South Pole route (formerly “Liv Camp”, now the “Naval Auxiliary Air Facility, Beardmore Glacier”).

During the thirty years since the Amery Ice Shelf was first sighted there has been a steady accumulation of information, first on the ice shelf itself and later on the interesting mountains and glacier systems which lie to its south. The ice shelf occupies the head of a large embayment consisting of Prydz Bay and Mackenzie Bay, which deeply indents the coastline of the Antarctic mainland near the borders of MacRobertson Land and Princess Elizabeth Land. An associated valley runs south from the bay, between the Prince Charles Mountains and the Mawson Escarpment, and it is occupied by one of the world's largest valley glaciers, the Lambert Glacier. (In fact, recent findings by Soviet parties suggest that the Lambert Glacier is considerably longer than the Beardmore Glacier.) The exploration, survey and subsequent mapping of the ice shelf, and the mountains and glaciers of its hinterland, by Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions in recent years has been a major contribution to Antarctic geography.