Mountains in the Antarctic interior are
few and far between. Many are a special kind of mountain
called a "nunatak". The Trans Antarctic Mountains that stretch from
one side of the continent to the other break through the ice cap
in places to form such nunataks - they are mountains that are surrounded
completely by an ice field. A sort of cold version of the ocean
and islands except that these are on land and raised high above
sea level.
Due to their isolation and sterile surroundings,
many nunataks are little or never visited, though there are records
of some Antarctic birds such as snow petrels nesting on nunataks
over a hundred kilometres from the coast where they feed. Why they
do so is unknown, maybe they just like the scenery.
Paul Ward - Pentax equipment,
35mm film, K64.
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