Photo: #Another ventifact in Bull Pass encountered on January 17. Even in very strong winds, most of the wind-blown sand travels close to the ground. The result is that the most active erosion of boulders by the wind happens close to the ground.
Photo: #This image shows the team's sling load as it is about to be set down on the helopad at McMurdo Station. Strong winds prevented the helicopter from taking the sling load when we were lifted out of camp on January 23. Improved weather conditions fortunately allowed the sling load to be delived.
Photo: #Patrick Hamilton sitting next to a mumified seal that his group encountered during our first hike in Bull Pass on January 10, to field test their GPS equipment.

Postcards from Antarctica


The dry valleys of Antarctica rarely get rain. They're not covered with ice, like most of the rest of the continent. The valleys are desolate and remote, and rarely seen by human eyes.

Over the last month, a team of researches from the University of Minnesota's Antarctic Geospatial Information Center and the Science Museum of Minnesota brought space-age technology to the valleys in an attempt to create accurate maps of one of the planet's last frontiers.

The Science Museum's Patrick Hamilton called MPR regularly from inside the dry valleys and left a series of "postcards". Some of his observations will air on MPR's All Things Considered this week.

Check out photos of the team's expedition to the dry valleys Antarctica.

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