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The deception of Deception Island is that, from the outside, the sheer cliffs conceal the best-protected place for ships on the Antarctic Peninsula. A ship's captain had to be persistent and continue all around to find the one small entryway into the bay. The further deception is that it isn't a real island -- it's a caldera, a collapsed volcano, which filled with water. That creates a nearly circular "island," like a donut with a small bite out of it.
Volcanoes, Whaling, and Polar Swimming, January 8, 2004
Ttrealtravels2005-12-25 00:04:27
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ash and scrubbed by the Katabatic winds. I think if you could combine these elements of the two, you would have a real moon-like experience here on Earth.
Cookies and Cream Mountain
We trudged up the muddy, gravelly plain to reach the lip of the giant crater. This vast pit was created by the most recent eruptions of the volcano in 1969 and 1970. Our ship's geologist Sue noted that this volcano has erupted every 30 or so years. It's due for a blast any day now.
A beautiful snowmelt waterfall flowed down the far side of the crater. To either side of the water, you could see the layers of sediment in the glacier. Ice had formed, then volcanic ash fell, and the process repeated almost endlessly. It was clear evidence that the glacier was very old. This ancient glacier looked like a mountain of cookies and cream.
Beyond the crater and to the left were higher crests that we could and did climb. The winds were even stronger there, and the view was amazing. Clouds drifted across us, making for a magical, mist-shrouded scene. The ship, anchored back in the watery caldera, faded in and out of sight. Fog rolled down the mountains to engulf us. We alternated between warmth from our exertions and chill from the winds. I sometimes felt like Piglet on a blustery day. I was a very small animal, easily blown about by the wind.
The Killing Fields
Whaler's Bay is another popular spot in Deception Island. Sadly, this place was a major whaling center at the start of the 20th century. Back in the day, these waters ran red with whale blood, and bloated carcasses clogged the harbor. It was a processing station from 1911 to 1931, rendering whale oil to light the lamps of big cities in the U.S. and Europe, among other uses. This was the home of massive slaughter and grisly operations until a slump in oil prices made the killing
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See photographs from:
Antarctica Gallery
