a quiz

[will]

Apologies as this is rather trivial. I have been given map co-ordinates, near McMurdo along with the question “What Lies Here?”
 
The co-ordinates are 77 deg 38′ 36.9″ N  166 deg 45′ 58.5″ E
 
Knowing this quiz, the “What lies here?” is probably literal. If this is not too trivial, can you help?
 
Many thanks in anticipation

[Sciencetech]

Perhaps the Cape Evans hut.

I need a better map to pinpoint it. Are you asking because you need to know, or do you already know what’s there?

Cheers,

glenn

[will]

No I don’t have any idea, I’ve tried various on-line mapping sources, but without success. Thanks for the information.[/font:i4nryhuy]
Mike[/font:i4nryhuy]

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Original Message

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From: Antarctic memories [mailto:Antarcticmemories@groups.msn.com]
Sent: 13 March 2006 03:34
To: Antarctic memories
Subject: Re: a quiz

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[font=Arial, Helvetica, Sans Serif:i4nryhuy]a quiz[/font:i4nryhuy]

Antarcticmemories@groups.msn.com?subject=Re%3A%20a%20quiz	[font=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Sans Serif:i4nryhuy]Recommend[/font:i4nryhuy] Message 3 in Discussion
[font=Arial, Helvetica, Sans Serif:i4nryhuy]From: [/font:i4nryhuy][font=Arial, Helvetica, Sans Serif:i4nryhuy]grantgl[/font:i4nryhuy] Perhaps the Cape Evans hut. I need a better map to pinpoint it. Are you asking because you need to know, or do you already know what’s there? Cheers, glenn

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[will]

Thanks a lot for taking the time. Will use the web address provided if the ideas you’ve given me are not right.[/font:fry615ln]
Cheers[/font:fry615ln]
Mike[/font:fry615ln]

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Original Message

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From: Antarctic memories [mailto:Antarcticmemories@groups.msn.com]
Sent: 13 March 2006 03:07
To: Antarctic memories
Subject: Re: a quiz

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[font=Arial, Helvetica, Sans Serif:fry615ln]a quiz[/font:fry615ln]

Antarcticmemories@groups.msn.com?subject=Re%3A%20a%20quiz

[font=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Sans Serif:fry615ln]Recommend[/font:fry615ln] Message 2 in Discussion

[font=Arial, Helvetica, Sans Serif:fry615ln]From: [/font:fry615ln][font=Arial, Helvetica, Sans Serif:fry615ln]grantgl[/font:fry615ln] Do you mean degrees South? I think it’s probably Turks Head. It could also be this, from the USGS database: Feature Name: Tech Crags Feature Type: ridge Elevation: 1000 Latitude: 7737S Longitude: 16645E Description: A narrow broken ridge 2 mi S of Williams Cliff on Ross Island. The feature rises to c.1000 m and marks a declivity along the N flank of broad Turks Head Ridge, from which ice moves to Pukaru Icefalls. Named by US-ACAN (2000) after the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, known as New Mexico Tech. From 1981, many Tech students under the direction of Philip R. Kyle, have undertaken graduate research projects (thesis and dissertation) on Mount Erebus, Ross Island. Want more? Try poking around with the USGS mapping and database utility and see what you get: http://geonames.usgs.gov/antform.html glenn

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[thepooles98]

Just for the record if the latitude actually is north it puts it into the arctic ocean north of Siberia. I couldn’t tell for sure but there appears to be an underwater ridge north of that point.
Is this Dr. Mike in Fredericksburg?

[thepooles98]

Glenn, If this is indeed south latitude could this be where William’s D8 broke through the ice and sank? I don’t have a map with enough detail to tell if this is on land or just ofshore.
Mike

[DeSoto]

Hi Mike,
  I get the same looking at Google Earth.
Susan

Susan M. DeSoto

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[Sciencetech]

Hello DoctorMikeF1,

I erased my first guess — Turk’s Head ridge — because there’s really nothing else there. But now I’m going to back pedal… Without a better map, that’s my best guess.

You’ve got a very precise position, I suspect from GPS coordinates (as opposed to a sextant reading from early explorers, for example) . May I ask, where did those coordinates come from, or what was the context they were in? It may help narrow this down.

Cheers,

glenn

[will]

Sorry, it’s south. Typo on my part. By the way, this is Doctormikef in UK not Fredericksburg

[will]

I apologise in advance if this goes wrong as I am completely new to this sort of site.
Susan (M.DeSoto) are you looking for the same thing as me, if so welcome, two heads are better than one. If not, then thank you for trying to help a complete computer illiterate

[will]

Thank you for looking at this.[/font:kq62s3ac]
[/font:kq62s3ac] 
The co-ordinates are the quiz question along with “What lies here”?[/font:kq62s3ac]
[/font:kq62s3ac] 
I suspect, knowing the quiz that this is very specific to this location. I think something like a “hut” would be appropriate. By the way, what is the linear distance of “one second” at your latitude? This question is in 1/10ths of a second. [/font:kq62s3ac]
What kind of distances/sizes are we talking about?[/font:kq62s3ac]
[/font:kq62s3ac] 
In advance, thank you for thinking about this[/font:kq62s3ac]
[/font:kq62s3ac] 
Mike Felgate[/font:kq62s3ac]

[Sciencetech]

Right-O.

1 arcminute = 1/60th of a degree = 1 nautical mile of latitude
1 arcsecond = 1/60th of an arcminute

To answer your question about distances, at this latitude, 1 arcminute = ~cos(77deg) = .22 nautical miles of longitude. Somebody slap me if get any of this wrong.

I find degrees-minutes-seconds to be a very painful way to express location, so let’s convert it to decimal degrees.

77 deg 38′ 36.9″ *S* 166 deg 45′ 58.5″ E

Latitude…

77 + (38 + (36.9/60))/60 = 77.643583 degrees South

Longitude…

166 + (45 + (58.5/60))/60 = 166.76625 degrees East

So what’s there? Nada.

It’s not Cape Evans — 77.633333S 166.4E (77 38′ 10″S 166 24′ 60″E) It’s not Turks Head Ridge — 77.64177184S 166.6535647E — although that’s close. It lays somewhere on the slope of Mt. Erebus, on the glacier face between Turks Head Ridge and Cape Evans, perhaps near the “Tech Crags” mentioned before. I have some very nice pictures of huge crevasses there. This also jives with what Google Earth shows, at least for me.

Perhaps the original latitude has an error in it? I only suggest this because the longitude is almost precisely the same as that of New Zealand’s Scott Base, (77°55’03″S 166°45’45″E, or 77.85S 166.762778E).

Good luck!

glenn

[will]

Have tried “Tech Crags”, Scott Base and Turks Head Ridge, all without success. As you say, Google Earth was unenlightening. Will have to think up something else. Are there any websites with photographs of the area or is there nothing to see there?
 
Anyway, many thanks for taking the time to help, it’s much appreciated
 
Mike

[thepooles98]

Assuming the coordinates are wrong, we have a number of common well known outside of Antarctica landmarks near the vicinity.
Try any of the following. Mcmurdo Station, Scott’s hut, Discovery Hut, Vince’s Cross, Roll Cage Mary, Williams memorial or monument, Castle Rock, Ob hill, Observation, Hill, The cross on Ob Hill ( does it have a name?), Arrival Heights, Danger Slopes,  Cape Evans hut, Cape Royds hut, Shackletons Hut,
That will get you started. What have I missed?

[thepooles98]

Also during the initial building of McMurdo a guy with the last name of Williams was driving a D8 cat bulldozer on the ice in the area.  The bulldozer broke through the ice and sank killing the driver, so on the bottom of the ocean near there is a D8 bulldozer.

[Author]

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