Alfred Faure
Encyclopedia
Alfred-Faure or Port Alfred is a permanent French scientific station on Île de la Possession of the Crozet Islands
Crozet Islands
The Crozet Islands are a sub-antarctic archipelago of small islands in the southern Indian Ocean. They form one of the five administrative districts of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands.-Geography:...

. It is located at 46°25′56.40"S 51°51′29.58"E on the eastern side of the island. The station is situated on a plateau 460 ft (143m) above sea level. Depending on the season, there are between 15-60 personnel working at the base. Their scientific work includes meteorological
Meteorology
Meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...

, seismic
Seismology
Seismology is the scientific study of earthquakes and the propagation of elastic waves through the Earth or through other planet-like bodies. The field also includes studies of earthquake effects, such as tsunamis as well as diverse seismic sources such as volcanic, tectonic, oceanic,...

, biological
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...

 and geological
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...

 research.

The research station was first established during the austral summer of 1963-64. It replaced a temporary scientific base that was built in 1961. The new station was named after Alfred Faure who was the site's leader in the early 1960s.

Alfred-Faure is visited a few times a year by the Marion Dufresne, an oceanographic research vessel
Research vessel
A research vessel is a ship designed and equipped to carry out research at sea. Research vessels carry out a number of roles. Some of these roles can be combined into a single vessel, others require a dedicated vessel...

 which delivers supplies and rotating crews of scientists. There is a 1.6 km road that connects the research station to the coast. There is also an aerial cableway
Aerial tramway
An aerial tramway , cable car , ropeway or aerial tram is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion...

that runs up from the coast to the station.

External links

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