The Teniente Luis Carvajal Villaroel Antarctic Base () is a seasonal

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

Antarctic The Antarctic (, ; commonly ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the South Pole, lying within the Antarctic Circle. It is antipodes, diametrically opposite of the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antar ...

base on the south-west tip of

Adelaide Island Adelaide Island is a large, mainly ice-covered island, long and wide, lying at the north side of Marguerite Bay off the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. The Ginger Islands lie off the southern end. Mount Bodys is the easternmost mounta ...

, in

Graham Land Graham Land is the portion of the Antarctic Peninsula that lies north of a line joining Cape Jeremy and Cape Agassiz. This description of Graham Land is consistent with the 1964 agreement between the British Antarctic Place-names Committee ...

off the west coast of the

Antarctic Peninsula The Antarctic Peninsula, known as O'Higgins Land in Chile and Tierra de San Martin in Argentina, and originally as Graham Land in the United Kingdom and the Palmer Peninsula in the United States, is the northernmost part of mainland Antarctica. ...

. The nearest land is the Magallanes – the station is in the Antarctic territory claimed by Chile.

History

Station T

The base was established by

Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey The Falkland Islands and Dependencies Aerial Survey Expedition (FIDASE) was an aerial survey of the Falkland Islands Dependencies The Falkland Islands Dependencies was the constitutional arrangement from 1843 until 1985 for administering the v ...

(FIDS) in 1961 and was previously known as the Station T. It was established on the south-west tip of Adelaide Island in preference to

Rothera The Rothera Research Station is a British Antarctic Survey (BAS) base on the Antarctic Peninsula, located at Rothera Point, Adelaide Island. Rothera also serves as the capital of the British Antarctic Territory, a British Overseas Territor ...

Point as it had a better skiway for aircraft and less sea ice to hinder access by ship. The base was set up to carry out Survey work in the local and extended area,

glaciology Glaciology (; ) is the scientific study of glaciers, or, more generally, ice and natural phenomena that involve ice. Glaciology is an interdisciplinary Earth science that integrates geophysics, geology, physical geography, geomorphology, clim ...

geology Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...

and

meteorology Meteorology is the scientific study of the Earth's atmosphere and short-term atmospheric phenomena (i.e. weather), with a focus on weather forecasting. It has applications in the military, aviation, energy production, transport, agricultur ...

. The base was the main air facility and centre for airborne earth sciences programme. It was occupied continuously by BAS from 3 February 1961 to 1 March 1977. Closed when the skiway deteriorated and operations were transferred to

(Station R). The original building was known as Stephenson House after A Stephenson, surveyor on the British Graham Land Expedition (BGLE) 1934-37. An additional hut named Rymill House after John Riddoch Rymill, leader of BGLE, was erected in Mar 1962. A separate accommodation hut named Hampton House after W E Hampton, deputy leader and chief pilot of the BGLE, was erected on 1 January 1963. This had been planned originally to be a garage at

Fossil Bluff Fossil Bluff is a seasonal British aircraft refuelling station located on the east coast of Alexander Island in Antarctica. In operation since 1961, its facilities provide fuel, storage, and ancillary support for British exploration and operation ...

(Station KG). A plastic accommodation building was established on 3 March 1967.

Current use

The base was transferred to

14 August 1984 and renamed Teniente Luis Carvajal Villaroel Antarctic Base. Chile has used the station as a summer only facility since this time. In the last few years the skiway has deteriorated further, leading to the death of a Chilean air mechanic, when he fell down a crevasse. Since then the

Chilean Air Force The Chilean Air Force () is the air force of Chile and branch of the Chilean military. History The first step towards the current FACh is taken by Lieutenant Colonel, Teniente Coronel training as a pilot in France. Although a local academy was c ...

have ceased operations at Carvajal. The

Chilean Navy The Chilean Navy () is the naval warfare service branch of the Chilean Armed Forces. It is under the Ministry of National Defense (Chile), Ministry of National Defense. Its headquarters are at Edificio Armada de Chile, Valparaiso. History Ori ...

continues to visit the base during the summer to ensure it is in good order. During the Winter months, staff at Rothera Station often visit the deserted buildings at Carvajal on BAS "Winter Training Trips".

References

External links

BAS Website on Adelaide Island Base

Official website Instituto Antàrtico Chileno (INACH)

COMNAP Antarctic Facilities

COMNAP Antarctic Facilities Map
{{Antarctica Outposts of Graham Land Adelaide Island Magallanes Region 1961 establishments in Antarctica

History

Station T

Current use

See also

References

External links