Pole of Inaccessibility Полюс недоступности | |
|---|---|
 The station buried under snow showing the bust ofLenin in January 2007 | |
  Pole of Inaccessibility Location in Antarctica | |
| Coordinates:82°06′42″S55°01′57″E / 82.1117°S 55.0325°E /-82.1117; 55.0325[1] | |
| Region | Kemp Land |
| Established | 14 December 1958 (1958-12-14) |
| Closed | 26 December 1958 (1958-12-26) |
| Named after | Southern pole of inaccessibility |
| Government | |
| • Type | Administration |
| • Body | SAE, Soviet Union |
| Elevation | 3,800 m (12,500 ft) |
| Active times | One summer |
ThePole of Inaccessibility research station (Russian:Полюс недоступности,Polyus nedostupnosti) is a defunctSoviet research station inKemp Land,Antarctica, at the southernpole of inaccessibility (the point in Antarctica furthest from anyocean) as defined in 1958 when the station was established. Later definitions give other locations, all relatively near this point. It performed meteorological observations from 14 to 26 December 1958. The Pole of Inaccessibility has the world's coldest year-round average temperature of −58.2 °C (−72.8 °F).[2]
The Pole of Inaccessibility research station is 878 km (546 mi) from theSouth Pole, and approximately 600 km (370 mi) fromSovetskaya. The surface elevation is 3,724 meters (12,218 feet). It was reached on 14 December 1958 by an 18-man traversing party of the3rd Soviet Antarctic Expedition.[3] ItsWMO ID is 89550.[4]
Equipment and personnel were delivered by an Antarctic tractor convoy operated by the 3rd Soviet Antarctic Expedition. The station had a hut for four people, a radio shack, and an electrical hut. These buildings had been constructed on the tractors used during the traverse, serving as accommodation. Next to the hut, an airstrip was cleared and aLi-2 aircraft landed there on 18 December 1958. The outpost was equipped with a diesel power generator and a transmitter. On 26 December the outpost was vacated indefinitely. Four researchers were airlifted out, and the remaining 14 members of the party returned with the tractors. The station was deemed to be too far from other research stations to allow safe permanent operation, so it was left to be used for future short-term visits only.[5]
The8th Soviet Antarctic Expedition visited the site on 1 February 1964 and left five days later.[6]
The AmericanQueen Maud Land Traverse reached the Pole of Inaccessibility fromAmundsen–Scott South Pole Station on 27 January 1965. The crew were flown out by aC-130 on 1 February. On 15 December 1965 a new American crew arrived by C-130 to make observations, refurbish thesnowcats, and continue the Queen Maud Land Traverse, zig-zagging to the newly installedPlateau Station, where they arrived on 29 January 1966.[7]
The12th Soviet Antarctic Expedition visited the site in 1967.[6]
On 19 January 2007, theBritishTeam N2i reached the Pole of Inaccessibility using specially designedfoil kites.[8]
On 27 December 2011, during the Antarctica Legacy Crossing,Sebastian Copeland, and partner Eric McNair-Landry, reached the Pole of Inaccessibility by foot andkite ski from theNovolazarevskaya station, on their way to completing the first partial east–west transcontinental crossing of Antarctica of over 4,100 km (2,500 mi).
The station building is surmounted by abust ofVladimir Lenin facingMoscow. As of 2007, it is almost entirely buried by snow, with little more than the bust visible.[8] Following a proposal by Russia to theAntarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting, the buried building and emergent bust, along with aplaque commemorating the conquest of the Pole of Inaccessibility by Soviet Antarctic explorers in 1958, has been designated aHistoric Site or Monument (HSM 4).[1]
Media related toPole of inaccessibility at Wikimedia Commons
