X-Nico

3 unusual facts about McMurdo Station


Bathycrinicola tumidula

Bathycrinicola tumidula is also notable for inhabiting McMurdo Sound, near McMurdo Station, Ross Island here, scientists who inhabit the American station throughout the Summer months can observe this species carefully.

Jon Johanson

Due to a lack of fuel he became stranded temporarily at the McMurdo-Scott base.

Sullivan Knoll

It was named after Paul J. Sullivan, an electronics technician in support of the U.S. Antarctic Program at McMurdo Station.


Detrick Peak

It was named by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (2000) after Daniel L. Detrick, a physicist and engineer at the Institute for Physical Science and Technology, University of Maryland, who was involved in long-term ionospheric research with the United States Antarctic Program, including the design and fabrication, as well as deployment of instruments at McMurdo Station, South Pole Station, and Siple Station.

Esser Hill

It was named in 1992 by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names after Alan C. Esser of Holmes and Narver, Inc., who served as Project Manager of Antarctic Support Activities, 1976–80, and was responsible for contractor operations at McMurdo Station, South Pole Station and Siple Station, as well as field activities in support of the U.S. Antarctic Program.

Haggerty Hill

It was named in 1992 by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names after Patrick R. Haggerty of Holmes and Narver, Inc., who managed logistics and construction activities at McMurdo Station, South Pole Station, Siple Station and various field camps during the 1970s and 1990s.

Ice People

Ice People brings Anne Aghion and her crew to Antarctica where they spent four months following the lives of North Dakota State University geologist professors Allan Ashworth and Adam Lewis, as well as the McMurdo Station staff over four months.

Martin A. Pomerantz

He supervised the installation of a stationary cosmic ray detector facility at Thule Air Base in Greenland, and in 1960 Pomerantz installed a cosmic ray detector at McMurdo Station in Antarctica.

Martin Cirque

It was named by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (1997) after Craig J. Martin, who had 10 years involvement in Antarctic construction and engineering projects at Siple Station, South Pole Station, and McMurdo Station and various field camps in the McMurdo Dry Valleys from 1977.

Peoples Rocks

Named for Ann Peoples, who served in a variety of positions from 1981–96; selected as the Berg Field Center Manager for McMurdo Station in 1986; first woman hired as a Station Manager; Palmer Station Manager 1991-96.

Spain Peak

It was named by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names in 2005 after Rae Spain, who from 1979 to 2004 completed 22 field season deployments in various positions held for U.S. Antarctic Project support contractors at the McMurdo, Siple, Palmer, and South Pole Stations, and at remote field camp stations.

Zapol Glacier

It was named by US-ACAN (2006) after Dr. Warren M. Zapol, Department of Anesthesia, Massachusetts General Hospital, whose long-term research near McMurdo Station on diving physiology of Weddell seals (begun mid-1970s) was part of a larger effort to understand how gas is handled in mammals as part of a search to understand SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).


see also

James B. McClintock

This work, funded by NSF, has been conducted at the United States research facilities McMurdo Station (Ross Sea) and Palmer Station (Antarctic Peninsula).