[meteorite-list] Chinese Collect Over 5, 300 Meteorites in Antarctica Expedition

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue Feb 21 00:03:36 2006
Message-ID: <200602210501.k1L51ne28185_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/art/2006/02/20/243146/China_finishes_summer_expedition_to_Antarctica.htm

Summer expedition to Antarctica accomplished
Zhu Moqing
Shanghai Daily
February 20, 2006

The 11 members of the China Antarctic Expedition team accomplished their
research mission to Grove Mountains and returned to Zhongshan Station
yesterday, China News Service reported.

During the 58-day expedition, the members collected a record-high 5,354
meteorite samples. They also collected geological data which will
facilitate the future compilation of a geologic map of Prydz Bay, a deep
embayment in Antarctica between the Lars Christensen Coast and Ingrid
Christensen Coast.

This mission is the summer section of China's 22nd expedition to the
Antarctic. It lasted from November 2005 to mid-February 2006, and the
winter section commenced on February 15 and will not be finished until
November of this year.

"We have finished most of our research projects on Grove Mountains. Some
were completed ahead of the schedule. And no accidents happened," said
Yang Huigen, Deputy Captain of the expedition and Deputy Director of
China Polar Research Center.

As one of the most magnificent areas of the Antarctic, Grove Mountains
(72??45???S 75??0???E) is a large, scattered group of mountains and nunataks
extending over an area of approximately 65 by 32 kilometers, located
460km from Zhongshan Station, China's first Antarctic expedition base.

Grove Mountains is notorious for severe weather conditions. Expedition
team members work under a temperature of -25??C and are prone to hazards
caused by ice calving. "We are heavily influenced by gales in the area,
in which visibility is down to nil," Yang said, "We can't even make out
the vehicles in front of us."

The expedition team will depart for China aboard the survey ship
"Xuelong" on February 26, the report said. It is estimated that they
will arrive in Shanghai on March 28.
Received on Tue 21 Feb 2006 12:01:45 AM PST