Part I: Seals teeth and whales ears - Scott Polar Research Institute ...

surrounding the high ground on nearly every side. Flat or slightly rounded
“tops” rise from the plateau and are connected by shallow cols. In summer much
of the island was snow- and ice-free, particularly in the low lying coastal areas to
east and south-east, which are rocky, with peat bogs, glacial drift and frost
shattered debris.
Moving clockwise around the island from the north, all the coastline is rocky
or boulder beaches, mostly backed by cliffs (sandy beaches are rare in the
Antarctic). On the East coast, there is first Stygian Cove, bounded to the west by
the sheer cliffs of Robin Peak and to the east by Berry Head. Then, following the
coastline southwards, two small coves, Tern Cove and Starfish Cove, indent the
coast before Balin Point, the northern limit of Borge Bay. Inland were the
Wallows, named for the dense moulting concentrations of elephant seals, which
hauled out during the summer. To the west of Balin Point, the two small Thule
Islands extend into Borge Bay enclosing Mirounga Flats. Borge Bay includes the
rocky islets of Billie Rocks, Bare Rock and Outer Island. A shallow, muddy tidal
pool, Elephant Flats, opens from the southwest corner of Borge Bay. The remains
of a terminal moraine block its mouth at low tide when it is more or less dry.
Continuing southwards Factory Cove comes next, with Knife Point,
Mooring Point and Drying Point to the north of it and Berntsen Point to the east.
A small, unfenced, whalers' cemetery consisting of 5 wooden crosses was placed
close to Drying Point. Observation Bluff rises to 353 ft south of Factory Cove and
Berntsen Point and extends eastwards to Polynesia Point; it was from this Bluff
that we carried out our daily ice observation. The FIDS base site was chosen
close to Berntsen Point, above the remains of the old whaling station. Access on
foot from the base to the rest of the island entails climbing over Observation
Bluff to the south, or a steep pull up the Stone Chute leading east from Factory
Cove to Moraine Valley and Drying Point. At low tide the mouth of Elephant
Flats can be crossed to gain access the northern part of the island.
South of Observation Bluff lies another large bay, Paal Harbour, bounded to
the west by Roberts Bluff and to the south by Retthval Point. Gourlay Peninsula
extends southwards from this point, like a six fingered hand, including Gourlay
Point and Lenton Point. A scattered group of small islands, the Oliphant Islands,
lies further south. On the south coast, the island's largest bay, Clowes Bay
extends from Oliphant Islands to Confusion Point and at its centre is a collection
of small rocky islands including appropriately named Shagnasty. This bay was
backed by the McLeod Glacier, a line of almost continuous ice cliffs nearly a mile
long. West from Confusion Point one then sees Moe Island, rising 736 ft to Snipe
Peak; it lies south-west of Signy Island across the narrow Fyr Channel, and south
of it are the Mariholm islets.
Turning the south west corner and heading northwards along the west-coast
of Signy, the first feature is Porteous Point, enclosing Cummings Cove. This
cove is backed by a large amphitheatre, bounded to the south by the ridge of the
Gneiss Hills and to the north by Tioga Ridge, which runs east from Jebsen Point.
Next comes Port Jebsen, with Jebsen Rocks half a mile to the northwest. A series
of shallow coves indents the coast north from Port Jebsen, separated by Thulla
Point and Foca Point, beyond which is Express Cove. The rest of the west coast
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