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SCIENCE / ANTARCTICA
ANTARCTICA ANOMOLIES
from the desk of Joseph Patrick Jakubal
Antarctica is considered to be a continent. It is covered by an immense ice sheet. Notable features include:
- 90% of all ice in the world.
- 70% of the earth's fresh water.
- Lowest temperature recorded -128.6 F.
- Average ice thickness is 1.3 miles.
- Antarctica is a polar desert due to its lack of precipitation.
- Antarctica's highest mountain is Mount Vinson at 16,066 feet.
- A mountain chain that extendes almost 800 miles and rises to 9800 feet is completely hidden from view by 3
miles of ice.
- Buried beneath 2 1/2 miles of ice is Lake Vostok (the size of Lake Ontario). This is only one of the many (over 400)
subglacial lakes discovered beneath the ice of Antarctica.
- The McMurdo Dry Valleys are 1850 square miles of ice free land that resembles NASA's concept of the planet Mars.
Ketabatic winds can exceed
200 mph.
- Antarctica has a canyon twice the size of the Grand Canyon. It stretches more than 900 miles and descends as much as
1.2 miles.
- Antarctica receives more sunlight than the equator in summer. We are told that 80 to 90 percent of the solar rays are
reflected back into space due to the white landscape. It makes me wonder about The McMurdo Dry Valleys, i.e., no white
landscape here, sounds like it should be a tropical paradise.
- The Colossal Squid is found in the deep waters surrounding antarctica, they are up to 46 feet in length. An interesting side
note is that the Colossal Squid has the largest eyes yet discovered on the earth (14 inches in diameter).
- Meteorites congregate in the blue ice regions of antarctica. The most significant discoveries are rocks said to be from
the moon and Mars. Over 60,000 meteorites have been discovered and collected since 1976.
- In 1984 the Allan Hills meteorite was surrounded by notoriety due to the organic compounds found inside.
- In 2022 an expedition found a ship named "Endurance" (destroyed in 1915). Everything was preserved
perfectly by
the antarctic waters. More than 100 years ago, it had become trapped and crushed by ice. Ernest Shackleton and his
crew of 27 were
forced to survive brutal weather for 634 days until a rescue ship saved all 27.
- The first baby born in antarctica was to an Argentine couple in 1978. Typically, this was considered to be a publicity
stunt to strengthen territorial claims.
- The Antarctic Peninsula is one of the fastest warming areas in the world.
- More than 80 research stations are registered as operating. McMurdo is the largest settlement in Antarctica ... it
belongs to the United States and houses 1200 people during peak times of year. It has a fire department, power plant,
labs, water treatment. ATM machines are provided by Wells Fargo bank.
- Antarctica has no official time zones.
- Two notable stations operated by Chile and Argentina both house families with children year round.
- In the summer, airplane runays are fabricated on the ice that allow supplies by air.
For years, scientists dismissed "unusual" reports about Antarctica, insisting nothing noteworthy was
occurring there.
However, "restricted access" and "72 designated zones requiring
special permits" has fueled speculation about "secrecy". Recent scientific publications confirm Antarctica sits atop
an intense "gravity hole," a term describing reductions in gravity (thought to be caused by variations in planetary
density).
These types of phenomenon are technically termed "gravity anomalies," and
they manifest most dramatically beneath the southern continent. Researchers argue these variations help
us to understand geological history, when combined with "seismic data". In other words, "they are performing CT scans
on the Earth's interior using earthquake readings".
While framed as mundane, the implications remain debated given Antarctica's stringent access
policies. Violations carry consequences, exemplified by the 2019 detainment of an unauthorized
solo pilot (CNN).
Controversy extends to strange surface features like the pyramid
mountain in the Ellsworth
Range. Though geologists attribute its symmetry to erosion, its visual resemblance to "artificial
structures" continues to invite skepticism. Celestial events such as the 2023
annular eclipse visible only over Antarctica further amplify intrigue.
While mainstream science interprets these phenomena through conventional frameworks,
restricted investigation opportunities perpetuate alternative theories about the continent's secrets.
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