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The South Pole–Queen Maud Land Traverse (SPQMLT) was a three-part scientific exploration of Antarctica undertaken by the United States in the 1960s. The three parts, referred to individually as South Pole–Queen Maud Land Traverse I, II, and III (SPQMLT-1, -2, and -3), traveled a zigzag route across nearly 4200 km of the Antarctic Plateau in the austral summers of 1964-1965, 1965-1966, and 1967-1968. The participants included scientists from Belgium, Norway, and the United States. Their objectives included determining the thickness of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, the elevation and slope of its surface, the rate of ice accumulation, and the subglacial topography. Other objectives included measuring the density and temperature of the ice at depth, measuring the geomagnetic field and gravity, and obtaining snow samples and ice cores. ==Operations== The traverse parties consisted of two to three traverse engineers and seven to eight scientists, who were affiliated with The Ohio State University, the University of Wisconsin, the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, the Free University of Brussels, and the Norwegian Polar Institute. Three diesel-powered Tucker Sno-Cats, one of which was equipped with a drilling rig, provided locomotion. Fuel was hauled in large rolling rubber tires, and supplies were carried on several 1-ton and 2-ton sleds. Additional fuel and supplies were delivered en route by airdrops from LC-130 aircraft of the U.S. Navy's Operation Deep Freeze. Direction was maintained with solar and magnetic compasses. Two of the vehicles each carried several altimeters and a proton magnetometer, and traveled such that one led the other by 8 km. Every 8 km they paused for simultaneous readings of the altimeters and magnetometers; and for measurements of gravity, surface slope, and snow density, and for weather observations. The surface slope was measured by scanning the horizon with a theodolite and recording the azimuth and vertical angle of the highest and lowest points. Beginning with SPQMLT-2, the ice thickness was profiled en route with a new radio sounder. At the beginning and ending points, and approximately every 50 to 75 km in between, a station was set up for the following work: a vertical 40-m hole was bored into the ice, the density and temperature of the ice at various depths in the borehole were measured, the ice sheet was sounded seismically, the accumulation rate was studied in hand-excavated 2-m pits, the intensity and direction of the geomagnetic field were measured, snow samples and ice cores were collected and analyzed, and the geographic position (latitude and longitude) and a geographic azimuth were determined by celestial (solar) observations with a theodolite. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「South Pole–Queen Maud Land Traverse」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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