Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
122
Figure 4.13. A broad pied-
mont glacier puddles on
the south flank of The
Cloudmaker. Shackleton's
party rounded the promon-
tory on December 13, 1908,
and headed south along
the band of blue. Wedge
Face stands above the
clouds at the right rear of
the image.
formed long bluVs to both the east and west of the glacier, in places with narrow, tribu-
tary glaciers spilling over their fronts. The bluVs on the east side of the glacier were also
separated by wide tributaries to the main glacier. Horizontal stratification was visible in
all of these mountains, though they were too distant for the men to be sure of the rock
types. Shackleton commented, “These mountains are not beautiful in the ordinary ac-
ceptance of the term, but they are magnificent in their stern and rugged grandeur.”
The next day was a diYcult ascent over blue ice as they passed the nunatak (Buckley
Island) where, in the afternoon, they made their depot, leaving all but the barest neces-
sities (Fig. 4.14). Toward the end of the day they progressed by climbing the steep blue
ice to the distance of an alpine rope, cutting a shelf in the ice where the four could stand,
and then pulling the sledges up one at a time to that point, repeating the operation until
they reached a level spot where the tent could be pitched, even though there was no snow
to hold down the flaps.
After dinner Wild climbed to the top of the nunatak and came down reporting that
the plateau was at hand beyond the hill. This was good news indeed, for it meant that
soon the men would be free of crevasses and blue ice. However, Wild had also discovered
that the layers of sandstone in the upper part of the nunatak contained six or so beds of
coal, ranging in thickness from four inches to eight feet. Compared to the wisps of car-
