The Antarctic Party of Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University, traveling to Progress Station aboard the research vessel "Akademik Fedorov," crossed the Southern Ocean and made a scheduled stop on the White Continent near Molodezhnaya Station.
| On February 23, 1962, the state flag of the USSR was raised over the station, though it operated only during the summer that year. By 1971, the station had become the Antarctic Meteorological Center and the second primary base after Mirny. |
The ship's stop was necessitated by the need to unload Belarusian polar explorers at Mount Vechernyaya Station. Since the stay would last several days, scientists from the Saint Petersburg Mining University decided to make the most of the time. A helicopter transported the geologists to the coast, where they conducted field geological observations. The area around the station consists of hilly terrain with ridges of exposed bedrock free of ice and snow. The oasis covers approximately 9 square kilometers, with a maximum elevation of 110 meters.
«Our team conducted geophysical surveys using radiometry and gamma spectrometry methods over more than 10 linear kilometers. We collected rock samples and conducted drone flights to create an orthophotoplan and a digital terrain model, capturing about 500 photographs from various altitudes. In the future, after completing comprehensive geological and geophysical work in the Larsemann Hills oasis area, we will be able to compare results from both oases near Progress and Molodezhnaya stations», - said Nikita Krikun, Lead Engineer at the Arctic Research Center.
Let us recall that the research conducted by the Mining University at Progress Station will enable the construction of a tectonic map and clarification of the geodynamic evolution features of East Antarctica, as well as the application of the obtained results to areas concealed beneath the continent's ice sheet.
The next docking point is Progress Station.
