From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Geographical feature in Antarctica
Cape Geology
is a low, gravel-covered point marking the western limit of Botany Bay, in the southern part of
Granite Harbour
,
Victoria Land
,
Antarctica
. It was charted and named by the Western Geological Party of the
Terra Nova Expedition
(1910?13) who established their base there.
[1]
Historic site
[
edit
]
The rock shelter known as Granite House was built in 1911, for use as a
field kitchen
, by
Griffith Taylor
’s second
geological
excursion in the course of the Terra Nova expedition. It was enclosed on three sides with
granite
boulder walls and used a
sled
to support a
sealskin
roof. The stone walls of the shelter have partly collapsed. It contains the corroded remains of tins, a sealskin and some cord. The sled lies 50 m seaward of the shelter and consists of a few scattered pieces of wood, straps and buckles. The site has been designated a
Historic Site or Monument
(HSM 67), following a proposal by New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom to the
Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting
.
[2]
Flora and fauna
[
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]
Together, Cape Geology and Botany Bay form a botanical refuge that is exceptionally rich for such a high latitude location, with an abundance and diversity of
moss
and
lichen
species that is unique for southern Victoria Land. There are also abundant growths of
algae
, large populations of
invertebrates
(including
springtails
,
mites
,
nematodes
and
rotifers
) and a
colony
of over 40 pairs of
south polar skuas
. The area is the
type locality
for both the lichen
Caloplaca coeruleofrigida
Sochting and the collembolan
Gomphiocephalus hodgsoni
Carpenter. The site is protected under the
Antarctic Treaty System
as
Antarctic Specially Protected Area
(ASPA) No.154.
[3]
References
[
edit
]
This article incorporates
public domain material
from
"Geology, Cape"
.
Geographic Names Information System
.
United States Geological Survey
.
77°00′30″S
162°34′00″E
/
77.00833°S 162.56667°E
/
-77.00833; 162.56667