Antarctica, South Georgia, Falkland Islands
Cruise Expedition 1/2006
19 days aboard the ship MS Andreas starting at Ushia Argintia and ending at Porta Madryn Argentina
Antarctica
Links
South Georgia
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Falkland Islands
The Boulder Streams
Most of theFalklands uplands are comparatively bare of vegetation, being of eroded peat, scree and stone runs ('rivers' of angular quartzite boulders).
These boulder streams, as they are known, have been found in other parts of the world but these particular streams in the Falklands are more extensive by far. The streams are made up of massive boulders, aligned in a valley or slope that stretch for several kilometres in length and can be several hundred meters wide. Often the streams are partially destroyed by glaciers and frost action, as seen in the United States, but in the Falklands they have been preserved like nowhere else on earth.
Scientists have been writing about these unique boulder streams since Charles Darwin first discovered them in 1845, but no one knows how old they are. Our research indicates that different parts of the formation date back to different stages of history, with the rocks nearer to the bottom of the valley possibly dating as far back as 130,000 years ago.
It is generally accepted that the boulders were riven from cliffs by intense frost-action processes in a period of severely cold climate and then moved slowly downhill.
My Photos
Instructions on Viewing & Copying
Movies
Battle For The Falklands, MPI Home Video 1982 110 minutes
