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1901?1903 German expedition to Antarctica
Gauss
enclosed in the ice, seen from a tethered balloon
The
Gauss
expedition
of 1901?1903 (also known as the
Deutsche Sudpolar-Expedition 1901?1903)
[1]
was the first German expedition to
Antarctica
. It was led by geologist
Erich von Drygalski
in the ship
Gauss
, named after the mathematician and physicist
Carl Friedrich Gauss
.
Voyage
[
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]
Drygalski led the first German
South Polar
expedition with the ship
Gauss
to explore the unknown area of
Antarctica
lying south of the
Kerguelen Islands
. The expedition started from
Kiel
on 11 August 1901.
Expedition
[
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]
A small party of the expedition was also stationed on the
Kerguelen Islands
, while the main party proceeded further south. Erich von Drygalski paid a brief call to
Heard Island
and provided the first comprehensive scientific information on the island's geology, flora, and fauna.
Despite their entrapment in the ice for nearly 14 months (until February 1903), new territory was discovered:
Kaiser Wilhelm II Land
and its volcano?
Gaussberg
.
Drygalski was the first to use a gas balloon in Antarctica.
Return
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]
The expedition arrived back in Kiel in November 1903. Subsequently, Erich von Drygalski wrote the narrative of the expedition and edited the voluminous scientific data. Between 1905 and 1931, he published the 20 volumes and two atlases documenting the expedition.
See also
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References
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]
Further reading
[
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]
- Drygalski, E.
(1991).
The German South Polar Expedition, 1901?3
. Erskine Press.
ISBN
1852970316
.
- Murphy, D. T. (2002).
German Exploration of the Polar World: A History, 1870?1940
. Nebraska.
External links
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]