First German Antarctica Expedition
Encyclopedia
The Gauss Expedition was the first German expedition to Antarctica, led by Arctic
veteran and geology professor Erich von Drygalski
in the ship Gauss
, which was named after the mathematician and physicist Carl Friedrich Gauss
.
expedition with the ship Gauss to explore the unknown area of Antarctica lying south of the Kerguelen Islands
. The expedition started from Kiel
in the summer of 1901.
, while the main party proceeded further south. Erich von Drygalski paid a brief call to Heard Island and provided the first comprehensive scientific information on the island's geology
, flora
and fauna
.
Despite being trapped by ice for nearly 14 months until February 1903, the expedition discovered new territory in Antarctica, the Kaiser Wilhelm II Land
with the volcano
Gaussberg
.
Drygalski was the first to use a gas balloon in Antarctica.
in November 1903. Subsequently, Erich von Drygalski wrote the narrative of the expedition and edited the voluminous scientific data. Between 1905 and 1931, he published the 20 volumes
and 2 atlas
es documenting the expedition.
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
veteran and geology professor Erich von Drygalski
Erich von Drygalski
Erich Dagobert von Drygalski was a German geographer, geophysicist and polar scientist, born in Königsberg, Province of Prussia....
in the ship Gauss
Gauss (ship)
Gauss was a ship used for the Gauss expedition to Antarctica. led by Arctic veteran and geology professor Erich von Drygalski....
, which was named after the mathematician and physicist Carl Friedrich Gauss
Carl Friedrich Gauss
Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss was a German mathematician and scientist who contributed significantly to many fields, including number theory, statistics, analysis, differential geometry, geodesy, geophysics, electrostatics, astronomy and optics.Sometimes referred to as the Princeps mathematicorum...
.
Voyage
Drygalski led the first German South PolarSouth Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
expedition with the ship Gauss to explore the unknown area of Antarctica lying south of the Kerguelen Islands
Kerguelen Islands
The Kerguelen Islands , also known as the Desolation Islands, are a group of islands in the southern Indian Ocean constituting the emerged part of the otherwise submerged Kerguelen Plateau. The islands, along with Adélie Land, the Crozet Islands and the Amsterdam and Saint Paul Islands are part of...
. The expedition started from Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
in the summer of 1901.
Expedition
A small party of the expedition was also stationed on the Kerguelen IslandsKerguelen Islands
The Kerguelen Islands , also known as the Desolation Islands, are a group of islands in the southern Indian Ocean constituting the emerged part of the otherwise submerged Kerguelen Plateau. The islands, along with Adélie Land, the Crozet Islands and the Amsterdam and Saint Paul Islands are part of...
, while the main party proceeded further south. Erich von Drygalski paid a brief call to Heard Island and provided the first comprehensive scientific information on the island's geology
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...
, flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
and fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
.
Despite being trapped by ice for nearly 14 months until February 1903, the expedition discovered new territory in Antarctica, the Kaiser Wilhelm II Land
Kaiser Wilhelm II Land
Kaiser Wilhelm II Land is the part of Antarctica lying between Cape Penck, at 87°43'E, and Cape Filchner, at 91°54'E and is claimed as part of the Australian Antarctic Territory, although this claim is not universally recognized....
with the volcano
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
Gaussberg
Gaussberg
Gaussberg is an extinct volcanic cone, 370 metres high , fronting on Davis Sea immediately west of the Posadowsky Glacier in Kaiser Wilhelm II Land in Antarctica....
.
Drygalski was the first to use a gas balloon in Antarctica.
Return
The expedition arrived back in KielKiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
in November 1903. Subsequently, Erich von Drygalski wrote the narrative of the expedition and edited the voluminous scientific data. Between 1905 and 1931, he published the 20 volumes
Volume (disambiguation)
Volume is the amount of space an object occupies.Volume may also refer to:*Volume *Volume , related to:**Amplitude**Loudness**Sound pressure**Dynamics...
and 2 atlas
Atlas
An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a map of Earth or a region of Earth, but there are atlases of the other planets in the Solar System. Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats...
es documenting the expedition.
Further reading
- Drygalski, E.Erich von DrygalskiErich Dagobert von Drygalski was a German geographer, geophysicist and polar scientist, born in Königsberg, Province of Prussia....
(1991). The German South Polar Expedition, 1901-3. Erskine Press. ISBN 1-85297-031-6 - D.T. Murphy, German exploration of the polar world. A history, 1870-1940 (Nebraska 2002).
External links
- South-Pole.com
- Report on the stay at the Kerguelens by expedition member Karl Luyken