Relocation of the station

The Brunt Ice Shelf is regularly monitored to detect signs of potentially threatening cracks. Recently it was found that a crack known as Chasm 1 was widening rapidly could cause the part of the ice shelf on which Halley VI stands to calve away. Therefore it has been decided to relocate the station 15 miles to the east, on the other side of the Chasm 1. This diagram, from the New Scientist article cited below, shows the situation:

Image: BAS

Fortunately Halley VI, unlike previous Halley bases, was designed so that it could be moved horizontally. Indeed it was moved from its construction site near Halley-V to its present site in 2011.

The new site was chosen carefully after assessing the glaciology of the ice shelf using a towed ground penetrating radar. A huge amount of cargo for the relocation project was delivered in the 2015/16 season by three visits of the Ernest Shackleton. The actual move will take place in early in the 2016/17 season.

Links

• Halley Research Station relocation (BAS)
• Massive crevasse in the ice forces early move for Antarctic base New Scientist 2 December 2015
• Britain needs to move its Antarctic base because the ice shelf is cracking (Motherboard)