Jill Harness
Antarctic Abandonments Through the Ages
by Jill Harness - August 23, 2010 - 9:31 AM

We all know just how inhospitable the Antarctic is, so it’s hardly surprising that many people who set up shop in the region later abandoned their shelters and never bothered to return. What is surprising, though, is the amazing way the frigid climate preserves most of these structures, leaving them in almost the condition they were left in, even after decades.

WebUrbanist has a fascinating look at ten of these abandoned areas, including the former home of early Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton. His shack, seen above, hadn’t been touched for 100 years when a team from the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust paid a visit and discovered a stockpile of Australian brandy and Scotch whiskey that had been aged for a century.

« Previous Post   -   Next Post »
Click here to get a Risk-Free issue of mental_floss magazine
Comments (4)

  1. I get an error everytime I try to open the site.:(

    posted by Sara on 8-23-2010 at 10:36 am

  2. Factual error: Alcoholic beverages, once sealed in glass, no longer age. The stuff from Shackelton’s hut may be 100 years old, but assuming it is still sealed (air has not penetrated the cork) it will be no better or worse than when it was first bottled.

    -”BB”-

    posted by Bicycle Bill on 8-23-2010 at 11:43 am

  3. I think we crashed the server. I tried to access it both in Chrome and in Firefox, to no avail.

    posted by laintexas on 8-23-2010 at 12:57 pm

  4. Saw the pictures – totally amazing (and sobering, especially the shots of Scott’s abandoned camp).

    posted by Steve from San Diego on 8-23-2010 at 1:17 pm

Comment

commenting policy