This list of Antarctic expeditions is a chronological list of expeditions involving

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest cont ...

. Although the existence of a southern continent had been hypothesized as early as the writings of

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importanc ...

in the 1st century AD, the South Pole was not reached until 1911.

Pre-exploration theories

* 600 BC – 300 BC – Greek Philosophers theorize

Spherical Earth Spherical Earth or Earth's curvature refers to the approximation of figure of the Earth as a sphere. The earliest documented mention of the concept dates from around the 5th century BC, when it appears in the writings of Greek philosophers. ...

with

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north ...

and South

Polar region The polar regions, also called the frigid zones or polar zones, of Earth are the regions of the planet that surround its geographical poles (the North and South Poles), lying within the polar circles. These high latitudes are dominated by flo ...

s. * 150 AD –

published Geographia, which notes Terra Australis Incognita.

Pre-19th century

* 7th century – Ui-te-Rangiora is claimed to have sighted southern ice fields. * 13th century – Polynesians settle Auckland Islands (50° S) * 1501–1502 – Gonçalo Coelho and Amerigo Vespucci potentially sail to (52° S) * 1522 – Juan Sebastián de El Cano – first

circumnavigation Circumnavigation is the complete navigation around an entire island, continent, or astronomical body (e.g. a planet or moon). This article focuses on the circumnavigation of Earth. The first recorded circumnavigation of the Earth was the ...

Fernando de Magallanes discovers

Strait of Magellan The Strait of Magellan (), also called the Straits of Magellan, is a navigable sea route in southern Chile separating mainland South America to the north and Tierra del Fuego to the south. The strait is considered the most important natural ...

(54° S) * 1526 – Francisco de Hoces reportedly blown south from Straits of Magallanes to (56° S) * 1578 –

Francis Drake Sir Francis Drake ( – 28 January 1596) was an English explorer, sea captain, privateer, slave trader, naval officer, and politician. Drake is best known for his circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition, from 1577 to 1580 ...

claims to have discovered an

ocean The ocean (also the sea or the world ocean) is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of the surface of Earth and contains 97% of Earth's water. An ocean can also refer to any of the large bodies of water into which the wor ...

south of South America and "

Elizabeth Island Elizabeth Island may refer to: * Elizabeth Island (Alaska) * Elizabeth Island, Bahamas * Elizabeth Island, Bermuda * Elizabeth Island (Georgian Bay) * Elizabeth Island, Michigan * Elizabeth Island, New Zealand * Elizabeth Island (Victoria) * ...

" (57° S) * 1599 – Dirk Gerritsz – potentially sails to (64° S) * 1603 – Gabriel de Castilla – potentially sails to (64° S) * 1615 – Jacob le Maire and

Willem Schouten Willem Cornelisz Schouten ( – 1625) was a Dutch navigator for the Dutch East India Company. He was the first to sail the Cape Horn route to the Pacific Ocean. Biography Willem Cornelisz Schouten was born in c. 1567 in Hoorn, Holland, S ...

first to sail around

Cape Horn Cape Horn ( es, Cabo de Hornos, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which are the Diego Ramí ...

cross (56° S) * 1619 – Garcia de Nodal expedition – circumnavigate

Tierra del Fuego Tierra del Fuego (, ; Spanish for "Land of the Fire", rarely also Fireland in English) is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of the main island, Isla ...

and discover Diego Ramírez Islands () * 1643 – Dutch expedition to Valdivia – northerly winds push the expedition as far south as 61°59 S where icebergs were abundant. The expedition disproves beliefs that Isla de los Estados was part of Terra Australis. * 1675 – Anthony de la Roché discovers South Georgia (), the first ever land discovered south of the Antarctic Convergence * 1698–1699 – Edmond Halley sails to (52° S) * 1720 – Captain George Shelvocke – sails to (61° 30′ S) * 1739 – Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier – discovers Bouvet Island () * 1771 –

James Cook James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean and ...

– HM Bark Endeavour expedition * 1771–1772 – First French Antarctic Expedition – led by Yves-Joseph de Kerguelen-Trémarec discovers

Kerguelen Islands The Kerguelen Islands ( or ; in French commonly ' but officially ', ), also known as the Desolation Islands (' in French), are a group of islands in the sub-Antarctic constituting one of the two exposed parts of the Kerguelen Plateau, a lar ...

() * 1772–1775 –

– sails crossing

Antarctic Circle The Antarctic Circle is the most southerly of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of Earth. The region south of this circle is known as the Antarctic, and the zone immediately to the north is called the Southern Temperate Zone. So ...

in January 1773 and December 1773. On 30 January 1774 he reaches 71° 10′ S, his Farthest South, coming within about of the Antarctic mainland without seeing it.

19th century

* 1780s to 1839 – American and British whalers and sealers make incidental discoveries. * 1819 – William Smith discovers

South Shetland Islands The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands with a total area of . They lie about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and between southwest of the nearest point of the South Orkney Islands. By the Antarctic Treaty of 1 ...

(), the first land discovered south of 60° south latitude. * 1819 – San Telmo is wrecked in the Drake Passage off

Livingston Island Livingston Island (Russian name ''Smolensk'', ) is an Antarctic island in the Southern Ocean, part of the South Shetlands Archipelago, a group of Antarctic islands north of the Antarctic Peninsula. It was the first land discovered south of 60 ...

. * 1819–1821 – Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and

Mikhail Lazarev Admiral Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev (russian: Михаил Петрович Лазарев, 3 November 1788 – 11 April 1851) was a Russian fleet commander and an explorer. Education and early career Lazarev was born in Vladimir, a scion of ...

, future Admirals of Russian Imperial Navy, during Russian circumnavigation expedition, on 27 January 1820 were stopped by impassable ice in of Princess Martha Coast that later became known as the floating fragments of Fimbul Ice Shelf (). Bellingshausen and Lazarev became the first explorers to see and officially discover Alexander Island and

Peter I Island Peter I Island ( no, Peter I Øy) is an uninhabited volcanic island in the Bellingshausen Sea, from continental Antarctica. It is claimed as a dependency of Norway and, along with Bouvet Island and Queen Maud Land, composes one of the three ...

in Antarctica in 21–28 January 1821. * 1820 – Edward Bransfield with William Smith as his pilot – on 30 January 1820, sight Trinity Peninsula (). * 1820 – Nathaniel Palmer sights Antarctica on 17 November 1820 * 1821 – George Powell, a British sealer, and Nathaniel B. Palmer, an American sealer, discover the

South Orkney Islands The South Orkney Islands are a group of islands in the Southern Ocean, about north-east of the tip of the Antarctic PeninsulaJohn Davis – on 7 February 1821 disputed claim of setting foot on Antarctica at

Hughes Bay Hughes Bay is a bay lying between Cape Sterneck and Cape Murray along the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. It is wide and lies south of Chavdar Peninsula and north of Pefaur (Ventimiglia) Peninsula, indenting the Danco Coast on the wes ...

() * 1823–1824 – James Weddell discovers the Weddell Sea; – on 20 February 1823 his ship ''Jane'' (160 tons) reached a new Farthest South of 74° 15′ S () * 1830–1833 – Southern Ocean Expedition led by John Biscoe, an English sealer; circumnavigates the continent, sets foot on Anvers Island, names and annexes

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 an ...

, discovers Biscoe Islands, Queen Adelaide Island () and sights Enderby Land () * 1837–1840 – Second French Antarctic Expedition – led by

Jules Dumont d'Urville Jules Sébastien César Dumont d'Urville (; 23 May 1790 – 8 May 1842) was a French explorer and naval officer who explored the south and western Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctica. As a botanist and cartographer, he gave his nam ...

; discovers

Adelie Land Adelie or Adélie may refer to: * Adélie Land, a claimed territory on the continent of Antarctica * Adelie Land meteorite, a meteorite discovered on December 5, 1912, in Antarctica by Francis Howard Bickerton * Adélie penguin The Adélie peng ...

and sets foot on an islet of Geologie Archipelago () 4 km from the mainland to take mineral and animal samples (66° S) * 1838–1839 – John Balleny discovers

Balleny Islands The Balleny Islands () are a series of uninhabited islands in the Southern Ocean extending from 66°15' to 67°35'S and 162°30' to 165°00'E. The group extends for about in a northwest-southeast direction. The islands are heavily glaciated an ...

() * 1838–1842 –

United States Exploring Expedition The United States Exploring Expedition of 1838–1842 was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding lands conducted by the United States. The original appointed commanding officer was Commodore Thomas ap Catesby ...

– led by Charles Wilkes to

Antarctic Peninsula The Antarctic Peninsula, known as O'Higgins Land in Chile and Tierra de San Martín 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 Antarctic ...

() and eastern Antarctica; discovers "Termination Barrier" ("Shackleton Ice Shelf") * 1839–1843 – James Clark Ross's expedition of 1839 to 1843 discovered the

Ross Ice Shelf The Ross Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf of Antarctica (, an area of roughly and about across: about the size of France). It is several hundred metres thick. The nearly vertical ice front to the open sea is more than long, and between h ...

, Ross Sea,

Mount Erebus Mount Erebus () is the second-highest volcano in Antarctica (after Mount Sidley), the highest active volcano in Antarctica, and the southernmost active volcano on Earth. It is the sixth-highest ultra mountain on the continent. With a sum ...

, Mount Terror and

Victoria Land Victoria Land is a region in eastern Antarctica which fronts the western side of the Ross Sea and the Ross Ice Shelf, extending southward from about 70°30'S to 78°00'S, and westward from the Ross Sea to the edge of the Antarctic Plateau. I ...

; extended his Farthest South to 78° 10′ S on 23 January 1842 * 1851–1853 –

Mercator Cooper Mercator Cooper (September 29, 1803 – spring 1872) was a ship's captain who is credited with the first formal American visit near Edo (now Tokyo), Japan and the first formal landing on the mainland East Antarctica. Both events occurred while s ...

landed on what is now known as Oates Coast in what is probably the first adequately documented landing on the mainland of Antarctica. * 1872–1876 – under Capt. George S. Nares, becomes the first steamship to cross the Antarctic Circle; reopens the study of oceanography in the region after a 30-year gap. * 1892–1893 –

Carl Anton Larsen Carl Anton Larsen (7 August 1860 – 8 December 1924) was a Norwegian-born whaler and Antarctic explorer who made important contributions to the exploration of Antarctica, the most significant being the first discovery of fossils for which ...

led the first Norwegian expedition to

aboard the ship '' Jason''. Larsen became the first person to ski in Antarctica where the Larsen Ice Shelf was named after him. * 1892–1893 –

Dundee Whaling Expedition The Dundee Whaling Expedition (1892–1893) was a commercial voyage from Scotland to Antarctica. Whaling in the Arctic was in decline from overfishing. The merchants of Dundee decided to equip a fleet to sail all the way to the Weddell Sea i ...

discover Dundee Island () * 1893–1894 –

led the second Norwegian expedition to

* 1893–1895 – Henryk Bull, Carstens Borchgrevink and

Alexander von Tunzelmann Alexander Francis Henry von Tunzelmann (15 June 1877 – 19 September 1957), a New Zealand crew member of the Norwegian whaling ship ''Antarctic'' was part of the first group known with certainty to have set foot on the mainland of Antarctica&md ...

– set foot on Antarctica at

Cape Adare Cape Adare is a prominent cape of black basalt forming the northern tip of the Adare Peninsula and the north-easternmost extremity of Victoria Land, East Antarctica. Description Marking the north end of Borchgrevink Coast and the west ...

* 1897–1899 – Belgian Antarctic Expedition – led by Adrien de Gerlache; first to winter in Antarctica * 1898–1900 –

Southern Cross Expedition The ''Southern Cross'' Expedition, otherwise known as the British Antarctic Expedition, 1898–1900, was the first British venture of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, and the forerunner of the more celebrated journeys of Robert Falcon Sc ...

, Carsten Borchgrevink – sails to

, winters on Antarctica and takes Farthest South on 16 February 1900 at 78° 50′ S

20th century

* 1901–1904 – Discovery Expedition – led by Robert Falcon Scott, on 30 December 1903, reached (82° 17′S) * 1902 - First ballon flight over Antarctica by Robert Falcon Scott * 1901–1903 –

Gauss expedition The ''Gauss'' expedition of 1901–1903 (also known as the ''Deutsche Südpolar-Expedition 1901–1903)'' was the first German expedition to Antarctica. It was led by geologist Erich von Drygalski in the ship , named after the mathematician and p ...

(or First German Antarctic Expedition) – led by

Erich von Drygalski Erich Dagobert von Drygalski (; February 9, 1865 – January 10, 1949) was a German geographer, geophysicist and polar scientist, born in Königsberg, East Prussia. Between 1882 and 1887, Drygalski studied mathematics and natural science a ...

* 1901–1903 – Swedish Antarctic Expedition – led by Otto Nordenskjöld with captain

* 1902–1904 –

Scottish National Antarctic Expedition The Scottish National Antarctic Expedition (SNAE), 1902–1904, was organised and led by William Speirs Bruce, a natural scientist and former medical student from the University of Edinburgh. Although overshadowed in terms of prestige by R ...

– led by

William Speirs Bruce William Speirs Bruce (1 August 1867 – 28 October 1921) was a British naturalist, polar scientist and oceanographer who organized and led the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition (SNAE, 1902–04) to the South Orkney Islands and the Wedd ...

* 1903–1905 – Third French Antarctic Expedition – led by

Jean-Baptiste Charcot Jean-Baptiste-Étienne-Auguste Charcot (15 July 1867 – 16 September 1936), born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, was a French scientist, medical doctor and polar scientist. His father was the neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot (1825–1893). Life Jean-Bap ...

* 1907–1909 – Nimrod Expedition – On 9 January 1909,

Ernest Shackleton Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton (15 February 1874 – 5 January 1922) was an Anglo-Irish Antarctic explorer who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic. He was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age o ...

reached 88° 23 ′S ( Farthest South), and on 16 January 1909, Professor

Edgeworth David Sir Tannatt William Edgeworth David (28 January 1858 – 28 August 1934) was a Welsh Australian geologist and Antarctic explorer. A household name in his lifetime, David's most significant achievements were discovering the major Hunter V ...

reached the South Magnetic Pole at () (mean position) * 1908–1910 – Fourth French Antarctic Expedition – led by

* 1910–1912 – Japanese Antarctic Expedition – led by Nobu Shirase * 1910–1912 – Roald Amundsen's South Pole expedition – On 14 December 1911, reached the

South Pole The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole, Terrestrial South Pole or 90th Parallel South, is one of the two points where Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on Earth and lies antipod ...

(90° S) * 1910–1913 – Terra Nova Expedition – On 17 January 1912, Robert Falcon Scott, reached the

(90° S) * 1911–1913 –

Second German Antarctic Expedition The Second German Antarctic Expedition of 1911–1913 was led by Wilhelm Filchner in the exploration ship . Its principal objective was to determine whether the Antarctic continent comprised a single landmass rather than separated elements, and i ...

– led by Wilhelm Filchner * 1911–1914 – Australasian Antarctic Expedition – led by Douglas Mawson * 1914–1916 – Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition – led by

* 1914–1917 –

Ross Sea Party The Ross Sea party was a component of Sir Ernest Shackleton's 1914–1917 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Its task was to lay a series of supply depots across the Great Ice Barrier from the Ross Sea to the Beardmore Glacier, along the pola ...

– led by Aeneas Mackintosh * 1920–1922 – British Graham Land Expedition – a British expedition to

led by John Lachlan Cope * 1921–1922 – Shackleton-Rowett Expedition – led by

– the last expedition of the

Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration The Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration was an era in the exploration of the continent of Antarctica which began at the end of the 19th century, and ended after the First World War; the Shackleton–Rowett Expedition of 1921–1922 is often ci ...

* 1924–1951 – Discovery Investigations * 1928 - First aeroplane flight over Antarctica by Hubert Wilkins and Carl Ben Eielson * 1929–1931 –

British Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition The British Australian (and) New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition (BANZARE) was a research expedition into Antarctica between 1929 and 1931, involving two voyages over consecutive Austral summers. It was a British Commonwealth initiative, dr ...

(BANZARE) – led by Douglas Mawson * 1928–1930 – Richard Evelyn Byrd – First expedition * 1931 – H. Halvorsen – discovered Princess Astrid Coast * 1931 – Hjalmar Riiser-Larsen – flew over Antarctica, discovered Kronprins Olav Kyst * 1933–1935 – Richard Evelyn Byrd – Second expedition * 1933–1939 – Lincoln Ellsworth – Aircraft expedition * 1934–1937 – British Graham Land Expedition (BGLE) – led by

John Riddoch Rymill John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

* 1936 –

Lars Christensen Lars Christensen (6 April 1884 – 10 December 1965) was a Norwegian shipowner and whaling magnate. He was also a philanthropist with a keen interest in the exploration of Antarctica. Career Lars Christensen was born at Sandar in Vestfold, Nor ...

– dropped Norwegian flag over Prince Harald Coast * 1938 –

German Antarctic Expedition (1938–1939) The German Antarctic Expedition (1938–1939), led by German Navy captain Alfred Ritscher (1879–1963), was the third official Antarctic expedition of the German Reich, by order of the "Commissioner for the Four-Year Plan" Hermann Göring. Counc ...

, ( New Swabia claimed for

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

) – led by Capt.

Alfred Ritscher Alfred Ritscher (23 May 1879 in Bad Lauterberg – 30 March 1963 in Hamburg) was a German polar explorer. A ''Kapitän zur See'' in the ''Kriegsmarine'', he led the third German Antarctic Expedition in 1938–39, which mapped the New Swabia (g ...

* 1939–1941 – United States Antarctic Service Expedition – led by Richard Evelyn Byrd (Byrd's third expedition) * 1943–1945 – Operation Tabarin – led by Lieutenant James Marr * 1946–1947 – Operation Highjump – led by Richard Evelyn Byrd (Byrd's fourth expedition) * 1947 – First Chilean Antarctic Expedition * 1947–1948 – Operation Windmill – led by Commander Gerald Ketchum * 1947–1948 –

Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition The Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition (RARE) was an expedition from 1947–1948 which researched the area surrounding the head of the Weddell Sea in Antarctica. Background Finn Ronne led the RARE which was the final privately sponsored ex ...

– led by

Finn Ronne Finn Ronne (December 20, 1899 – January 12, 1980) was a Norwegian-born U.S. citizen and Antarctic explorer. Background Finn Ronne was born in Horten, in Vestfold county, Norway. His father, Martin Rønne (1861–1932), was a polar explorer ...

* 1949–1950 – Adelie-Land, Ship ''Commandant Charcot'' – led by

Michel Barre Michel may refer to: * Michel (name), a given name or surname of French origin (and list of people with the name) * Míchel (nickname), a nickname (a list of people with the nickname, mainly Spanish footballers) * Míchel (footballer, born 1963), ...

* 1949–1952 – Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition – led by John Giaever * 1954 – Mawson Station established * 1955–1956 –

Operation Deep Freeze Operation Deep Freeze (OpDFrz or ODF) is codename for a series of United States missions to Antarctica, beginning with "Operation Deep Freeze I" in 1955–56, followed by "Operation Deep Freeze II", "Operation Deep Freeze III", and so on. (There ...

– led by Richard Evelyn Byrd (Byrd's fifth expedition) * 1955–1957 – Falkland Island Dependency Aerial Survey led by P G Mott * 1955–1957 –

1st Soviet Antarctic Expedition The First Soviet Antarctic Expedition was led by Mikhail Somov; his scientific deputy was . The expedition lasted from 30 November 1955 to 1957 and involved 127 expedition members and 75 crew members. Three diesel-electric ships were used to trans ...

– led by Mikhail Somov * 1956 –

Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station The Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station is the United States scientific research station at the South Pole of the Earth. It is the southernmost point under the jurisdiction (not sovereignty) of the United States. The station is located on the ...

established * 1956–1958 –

Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition The Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition (CTAE) of 1955–1958 was a Commonwealth-sponsored expedition that successfully completed the first overland crossing of Antarctica, via the South Pole. It was the first expedition to reach the South ...

– led by

Vivian Fuchs Sir Vivian Ernest Fuchs ( ; 11 February 1908 – 11 November 1999) was an English scientist-explorer and expedition organizer. He led the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition which reached the South Pole overland in 1958. Biography Fuc ...

* 1956–1958 –

2nd Soviet Antarctic Expedition The Second Soviet Antarctic Expedition was led by Aleksei Treshnikov on the continent; the marine expedition on the "Ob" was led by I. V. Maksimov. The "Ob" left Kaliningrad on 7 November, 1956. Three ships were used to transport the expedition, al ...

– led by

Aleksei Treshnikov Alexey Fyodorovich Tryoshnikov (russian: Алексе́й Фёдорович Трёшников) (14 April 1914, Pavlovka, Karsunsky Uyezd, Simbirsk Governorate – 18 November 1991, Saint Petersburg) was a Soviet polar explorer and lea ...

* 1957–1958 –

International Geophysical Year The International Geophysical Year (IGY; french: Année géophysique internationale) was an international scientific project that lasted from 1 July 1957 to 31 December 1958. It marked the end of a long period during the Cold War when scientific i ...

* 1957–1958 – New Zealand Geological Survey Antarctic Expedition * 1957 – Scott Base established * 1957–1958 – Luncke Expedition * 1957–1959 – 3rd Soviet Antarctic Expedition – led by

Yevgeny Tolstikov Yevgeny Ivanovich Tolstikov (russian: Евгений Иванович Толстиков; 9 February 1913 – 3 December 1987) was a Soviet polar explorer who was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union in 1955 for heading the station "North Po ...

* 1958–1959 – New Zealand Geological Survey Antarctic Expedition * 1958–1960 – 4th Soviet Antarctic Expedition – led by Aleksandr Dralkin * 1959–1961 – 5th Soviet Antarctic Expedition – led by Yevgeny Korotkevich * 1960 – South African National Antarctic Expedition * 1960–1962 –

6th Soviet Antarctic Expedition 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second smal ...

– led by V. Driatsky * 1961–1963 – 7th Soviet Antarctic Expedition – led by Aleksandr Dralkin * 1962–1962 –

Vostok traverse The Vostok traverse was a 3000 kilometre four-month trip across Antarctica undertaken by ANARE the Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition in 1962. Using two bright red painted 1943 World War II M29 Weasel tracked vehicles and two 1950 ...

– led by Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (

ANARE The Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (ANARE ) is the historical name for the Australian Antarctic Program (AAp) administered for Australia by the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD). History Australia has had a long involv ...

) * 1962–1963 – New Zealand Federated Mountain Clubs Antarctic Expedition – Led by John M. Millen * 1962–1964 – 8th Soviet Antarctic Expedition – led by Mikhail Somov * 1963–1965 – 9th Soviet Antarctic Expedition – led by Mikhail Somov and Pavel Senko * 1964–1965 –

South Pole—Queen Maud Land Traverse South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...

I * 1964–1966 – 10th Soviet Antarctic Expedition – led by M. Ostrekin, I. Petrov * 1965–1966 –

II * 1965–1967 – 11th Soviet Antarctic Expedition – led by D. Maksutov, Leonid Dubrovin * 1965–1965 – Operación 90 – Terrestrial Argentine Expedition to the South Pole Led by Coronel D. Jorge Leal. * 1966–1968 – 12th Soviet Antarctic Expedition – led by Pavel Senko and Vladislav Gerbovich * 1966–1967 –

New Zealand Antarctic Research Programme Mariner Glacier Northern Party Expedition New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

– led by

John E S Lawrence John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

* 1967–1968 –

III * 1967–1969 – 13th Soviet Antarctic Expedition – led by

* 1968–1970 – 14th Soviet Antarctic Expedition – led by D. Maksutov, Ernst Krenkel * 1969–1970 – New Zealand Geological Survey Antarctic Expedition * 1969–1971 – 15th Soviet Antarctic Expedition – led by Pavel Senko and Vladislav Gerbovich * 1970–1972 –

16th Soviet Antarctic Expedition 16 (sixteen) is the natural number following 15 and preceding 17. 16 is a composite number, and a square number, being 42 = 4 × 4. It is the smallest number with exactly five divisors, its proper divisors being , , and . In English speech, ...

– led by I. Petrov and

Yury Tarbeyev Yury, Yuri, Youri, Yurii, Yuriy, Yurij, Iurii or Iouri is the Slavic (russian: Юрий, Yuriy, or uk, Юрій, Yuriy, or bg, Юрий, Jurij, or be, Юры, Jury) form of the masculine given name George; it is derived directly from the Gree ...

* 1971–1973 – 17th Soviet Antarctic Expedition – led by Yevgeny Korotkevich, V. Averyanov * 1972–1974 – 18th Soviet Antarctic Expedition – led by Pavel Senko * 1973–1975 –

19th Soviet Antarctic Expedition 19 (nineteen) is the natural number following 18 and preceding 20. It is a prime number. Mathematics 19 is the eighth prime number, and forms a sexy prime with 13, a twin prime with 17, and a cousin prime with 23. It is the third full r ...

– led by D. Maksutov, V. Ignatov * 1974–1976 – 20th Soviet Antarctic Expedition – led by V. Serdyukov, N. Kornilov * 1975–1977 – 21st Soviet Antarctic Expedition – led by O. Sedov, G. Bardin * 1976–1978 – 22nd Soviet Antarctic Expedition – led by N. Tyabin, Leonid Dubrovin * 1977–1979 – 23rd Soviet Antarctic Expedition – led by V. Serdyukov, O. Sedov * 1978–1980 –

24th Soviet Antarctic Expedition Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

– led by A. Artemyev, O. Sedov * 1979 –

Air New Zealand Flight 901 The Mount Erebus disaster occurred on 28 November 1979 when Air New Zealand Flight 901 (TE-901) flew into Mount Erebus on Ross Island, Antarctica, killing all 237 passengers and 20 crew on board. Air New Zealand had been operating scheduled Ant ...

– airplane crash * 1979–1980 – 25th Soviet Antarctic Expedition – led by N. Kornilov, N. Tyabin * 1980–1981 –

Transglobe Expedition The Transglobe Expedition (1979–1982) was the first expedition to make a longitudinal (north–south) circumnavigation of the Earth using only surface transport. British adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes led a team, including Oliver Shepard and C ...

– led by Ranulph Fiennes * 1980–1982 – 26th Soviet Antarctic Expedition – led by V. Serdyukov, V. Shamontyev * 1981–1983 –

27th Soviet Antarctic Expedition 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, ...

– led by D. Maksutov, R. Galkin * 1981–1982 –

First Indian Expedition to Antarctica First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

– led by Dr. Sayed Zahoor Qasim * 1982 –

Falkland Islands War The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British Overseas Territories, British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland I ...

* 1982–1983 – First Brazilian Expedition to Antarctica – * 1982–1983 – Second Indian Expedition to Antarctica – led by V. K. Raina * 1982–1984 – 28th Soviet Antarctic Expedition – led by N. Kornilov, A. Artemyev * 1983–1985 – 29th Soviet Antarctic Expedition – led by N. Tyabin, L. Bulatov * 1983–1985 – Third Indian Expedition to Antarctica * 1984–1987 – In the Footsteps of Scott – led by Robert Swan * 1984–1985 – 1st Uruguayan Antarctic Expedition – Antarkos I Led by Lt. Col. Omar Porciúncula * 1984–1986 – 30th Soviet Antarctic Expedition – led by D. Maksutov, R. Galkin * 1985–1987 – 31st Soviet Antarctic Expedition – led by N. Tyabin, V. Dubovtsev * 1986–1988 –

32nd Soviet Antarctic Expedition 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...

– led by V. Klokov, V. Vovk * 1987 – Iceberg B-9 calves and carries away Little Americas I – III * 1987–1989 – 33rd Soviet Antarctic Expedition – led by N.A. Kornilov, Yu.A. Khabarov * 1987–1988 – First Bulgarian Antarctic Expedition –

St. Kliment Ohridski Base St. Kliment Ohridski Base ( bg, База Св. Климент Охридски, Baza Sv. Kliment Ohridski, ) is a Bulgarian Antarctic base on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands. The base, originally known as ''Sofia University Refu ...

established * 1988–1990 – 34th Soviet Antarctic Expedition – led by S.M. Pryamikov, L.V. Bulatov * 1988–1989 – South Pole Overland. Patriot Hills to South Pole. First commercial Ski expedition to South Pole. 1200 km, 50 days – led by

Martyn Williams Martyn Elwyn Williams, (born 1 September 1975) is a former Wales and British & Irish Lions international rugby union player. A flanker, he was Wales' most-capped forward with 100 caps until surpassed by Gethin Jenkins on 30 November 2013. He ...

* 1989–1990 – Antarctic crossing on foot by Reinhold Messner and

Arved Fuchs Arved Fuchs (born 26 April 1953) is a German polar explorer and writer. Polar exploration On 30 December 1989, Fuchs and Reinhold Messner were the first to reach the South Pole with neither animal nor motorised help, using skis and a pa ...

. 2800 km. 92 days * 1989–1990 – 1990 International Trans-Antarctica Expedition – led by American Will Steger and Frenchman Jean-Louis Étienne, first un-mechanized crossing – 6,021 km, 220-days * 1989–1991 – 35th Soviet Antarctic Expedition – led by V.M. Piguzov * 1990 – 1st North Korean Antarctic Expedition * 1990 – Snotsicle Traverse Ski expedition – South Pole to Ross Sea inland edge via Scott Glacier. 9 611 km in 35 days– led by

* 1990–1991 – 2nd North Korean Antarctic Expedition * 1991–1992 – 36th Soviet Antarctic Expedition – led by

Lev Savatyugin Lev may refer to: Common uses *Bulgarian lev, the currency of Bulgaria *an abbreviation for Leviticus, the third book of the Hebrew Bible and the Torah People and fictional characters *Lev (given name) * Lev (surname) Places *Lev, Azerbaijan, ...

* 1992–1993 – American Women's Antarctic Expedition- AWE. First team of women to ski to the South Pole:

Ann Bancroft Ann Bancroft (born September 29, 1955) is an American author, teacher, adventurer, and public speaker. She was the first woman to finish a number of expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic. She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fam ...

, Sunniva Sorby, Anne DalVera, Sue Giller- 67 days * 1992–1993 – British Polar Plod – led by Ranulph Fiennes with

Mike Stroud (physician) Prof Michael Adrian Stroud, OBE, FRCP (born 17 April 1955) is an expert on human health under extreme conditions. He became widely known when he partnered with Ranulph Fiennes on polar expeditions. Early life Stroud was educated at Trinity Sc ...

, first unassisted expedition crossing the continent by ski, (2,173 km in 95 days) * 1992–1993 –

Erling Kagge Erling Kagge (born January 15, 1963) is a Norwegian explorer, publisher, author, lawyer, art collector, entrepreneur and politician. Three Poles Challenge Erling Kagge is the first person to reach the North Pole, South Pole and the summit o ...

(Norway), first unassisted, and first solo expedition to the South Pole by ski, (1,310 km in 53 days) * 1992–1993 – Antarctic Environmental Research Expedition – led by Kenji Yoshikawa * 1994 – Liv Arnesen (Norway), first unassisted woman to the South Pole by ski, (1,200 km in 50 days) * 1994 – Cato Zahl Pedersen (Norway) becomes the first person with no arms to ski to the South Pole (1400 km from Berkner Island), together with Lars Ebbesen and Odd Harald Hauge * 1995 – "A Pole at the Poles" – Marek Kamiński solo expedition to the South Pole from Berkner Island (1,400 km in 53 days); * 1995–1996 – Bernard Voyer and Thierry Pétry unassisted expedition to the South Pole by ski * 1996 – Lake Vostok discovered * 1996–1997 – "Solo TransAntarctica" – Marek Kamiński attempted solo crossing of Antarctica (1,450 km); *1996–1997 – Børge Ousland (Norway) first person to travel across Antarctica solo. The crossing went from coast to coast, from Berkner Island to the Ross Sea, and was unsupported (without resupplies). He used a kite as traction for parts of the expedition. 63 days, 3,000 km * 1997–1998 – Peter Treseder, Keith Williams & Ian Brown become the first Australians to ski unsupported (no sail) to the South Geographic Pole, 1317 km in 59 days from Berkner Island, 2Nov-31Dec, flown out by ANI. *1998–1999 – Eric Philips, Jon Muir and Peter Hillary pioneer a new route from Ross Island to the South Pole through the Transantarctic Mountains via the Shackleton then Zaneveld glaciers. The expedition covers 1425 km in 84 days setting off 4 November 1998 and arriving 26 January 1999. The team were not able to complete their original objective of completing the first unassisted return journey to the South Pole.

21st century

* 2000–2001– Norwegian Liv Arnesen and the American Ann Bancroft crossed Antarctica on ski-sail from Blue 1 Runaway 13 November reaching after 94 days of expedition

McMurdo Station McMurdo Station is a United States Antarctic research station on the south tip of Ross Island, which is in the New Zealand-claimed Ross Dependency on the shore of McMurdo Sound in Antarctica. It is operated by the United States through the ...

, passing through the South Pole. * 2001–2002 – First and longest sea kayak expedition by New Zealanders Graham Charles, Marcus Waters and Mark Jones paddle unsupported from Hope Bay to

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 moun ...

in 35 days. * 2004 – Scot100 First ever Scottish Expedition to South Pole began in October 2004 – a century after a historic expedition led by

, Edinburgh's "unknown" explorer, who

Craig Mathieson Craig Mathieson (born 1971) is an Australian music journalist and writer. His books include, '' Hi Fi Days'' (1996), '' The Sell-In'' in (2000) and the 100 Best Australian Albums in 2010, with Toby Creswell and John O'Donnell Biography Craig ...

views as "truly the greatest polar explorer of all time". * 2004 – Together to the Pole – a Polish four-man expedition led by Marek Kamiński, with

Jan Mela Jan "Jasiek" Mela (born December 30, 1988, in Gdańsk) is a Polish explorer who, as a teenage double amputee, was the youngest person to reach the North Pole in 2004, and eight months later the South Pole. He created thFoundation "Poza horyzonty" ...

(a teenage double amputee, who in the same year reached also the

North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distinguish from the Ma ...

) * 2004–2005 – Chilean South Pole Expedition. * 2004–2005 –

Tangra 2004/05 The Tangra 2004/05 Expedition was commissioned by the Antarctic Place-names Commission at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria, managed by the Manfred Wörner Foundation, and supported by the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute, the In ...

created

Camp Academia Camp Academia ( bg, лагер Академия, lager Akademiya, ) is a geographical locality in eastern Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, named for the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in appreciation of Academy’s contributi ...

. * 2005 –

Ice Challenger Expedition The Ice Challenger Expedition was an expedition to the geographic South Pole. The expedition's six man team used a six-wheel drive vehicle to cover about 1,000 miles. Not to be confused with the ''Ice Challenger'' expedition to traverse the ice flo ...

travelled to the South Pole in a six-wheeled vehicle. * 2005–2006 – Spanish Trans-Antarctic Expedition, led by Ramon Larramendi, reached the Southern Pole of Inaccessibility using kite-sleds. * 2006 – Hannah McKeand sets coast-to-pole solo/unsupported record of 39 days, 9 hours and 33 minutes * 2006–2007 – Jenny and

Ray Jardine Ray Jardine (born in 1944) is an American rock climber who, along with Bill Price, in May 1979, was the first to free climb the ''West Face'' of El Capitan in Yosemite Valley. Jardine is also a mountaineer, sea kayaker, sailor, hang glider pilot, ...

57-day ski trek to South Pole * 2007 – Pat Falvey leads an Irish team to reach the South Pole, skiing 1140 km only weeks after completing an unsupported Ski traverse of the Greenland Ice Cap in August 2007 in honour of Irish Polar Explorers such as

and Tom Crean. Clare O'Leary becomes the first Irish female to reach the South Pole. * 2007–2008 – Norwegian-U.S. Scientific Traverse of East Antarctica. * 2007–2008 – British Army Antarctic Expedition 2007–2008 * 2007–2008 – Verden Vakreste Skitur. Randi Skaug, Kristin Moe-Krohn and Anne-Mette Nørregaard skied unsupported from Patriot Hills across The Sentinel range to Vinson Massif to climb Mount Vinson * 2008 – Todd Carmichael sets coast-to-pole solo/unsupported record of 39 days, 7 hours and 49 minutes * 2008 –

First Venezuelan Scientific Expedition to Antarctica First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

. *2008–2009 �
The Antarctica Challenge
– Canada-US

International Polar Year The International Polar Years (IPY) are collaborative, international efforts with intensive research focus on the polar regions. Karl Weyprecht, an Austro-Hungarian naval officer, motivated the endeavor in 1875, but died before it first occurred i ...

br>documentary film production
expedition led by

Mark Terry Dr. Mark Terry is a Canadian scholar, explorer, and filmmaker. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and is an Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change, York University and the Faculty of Arts, Wilfrid Laurier Univ ...

. * 2008–2009 – Impossible 2 Possible (i2P) unsupported South Pole quest by Ray Zahab, Kevin Vallely and Richard Weber. * 2009 –

Azerbaijan Scientific Expedition Azerbaijan Scientific Expedition was a two-man expedition to Antarctica organized by the Azerbaijani government to reach the top of Vinson Massif and the South Pole by skiing and walking. Huseyngulu Baghirov, Ecology and Natural Resources Ministe ...

* 2009 –

Kaspersky Commonwealth Antarctic Expedition The Kaspersky Commonwealth Antarctic Expedition was a Commonwealth of Nations expedition in which seven women from six Commonwealth member countries skied to the South Pole in 2009 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Commonw ...

, largest and most international group of women to ski to South Pole. * 2009 – Second Venezuelan Scientific Expedition to Antarctica. * 2009–2010 – Unsupported/Unassisted Antarctica Ski Traverse from Berkner Island to South Pole to Ross Sea by

Cecilie Skog Cecilie Skog (born August 9, 1974) is a Norwegian adventurer. She studied and worked as a nurse, but since summiting Mount Everest in 2004, she has worked as a professional adventurer, guide and lecturer. In August 2008, she climbed K2. Her hus ...

and Ryan Waters. * 2010 – Moon Regan Transantarctic Crossing, first wheeled transantarctic crossing and first bio-fuelled vehicle to travel to the South Pole. * 2010 – Third Venezuelan Scientific Expedition to Antarctica. * 2011 –

Fourth Venezuelan Scientific Expedition to Antarctica Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

. * 2011–2012 – From Novolazarevskaya to Pole of Inaccessibility to South Pole to Hercules inlet by

Sebastian Copeland Sebastian Copeland (born 3 April 1964) is a British-American-French photographer, polar explorer, author, lecturer, and environmental advocate. He has led numerous expeditions in the polar regions to photograph and film endangered environments. In ...

and Eric McNair Landry by kites and skis. * 2011–2012 – Scott Amundsen Centenary Race – Henry Worsley and Louis Rudd ski unsupported along the original route of Amundsen from the Bay of Whales up the Axel Heiberg to the SP racing against Mark Langridge, Vic Vicary and Kev Johnson completing Capt Scott's original route. * 2011–2012 – British Services Antarctic Expedition 2012 * 2011–2012 – Expedition by Ramon Hernando de Larramendi, by

Inuit WindSled The WindSled or Inuit WindSled is a project that has as central axis a wind vehicle, unique in the world, to travel and transport equipment through polar lands, and which has been designed by the Spanish Polar exploration, polar explorer, Ramón He ...

. * 2012 –

Felicity Aston Felicity Ann Dawn Aston (born 7 October 1977) is a British explorer, author and former climate scientist. Early life and career Originally from Birchington-on-Sea, Kent, Aston went to Tonbridge Grammar School for Girls and was educated at U ...

becomes the first person to ski alone across

using only personal muscle power, as well as the first woman to cross Antarctica alone. Her journey began on 25 November 2011, at the

Leverett Glacier Leverett Glacier in Antarctica is about long and wide, draining northward from the Watson Escarpment, between California Plateau and Stanford Plateau, and then trending west-northwest between the Tapley Mountains and Harold Byrd Mountains to te ...

, and continued for 59 days and a distance of . * 2012 – Fifth Venezuelan Scientific Expedition to Antarctica. * 2012–2013 – Aaron Linsdau becomes the second American to ski solo from the Hercules Inlet to the South Pole. His original plan was to make a round trip but through a series of problems, like all other expeditions this year, was unable to make the return journey. * 2012 – Eric Larsen attempts a bicycle ride from coast to South Pole. Completes a quarter of the distance. * 2012 – Grant Korgan becomes the first person with a spinal cord injury to literally "push" himself to the geographic South Pole! * 2012–2013 – Shackleton's centenary re-enactment expedition of the journey of the ''James Caird'' aboard the replica ''Alexandra Shackleton''. Six British and Australian Explorers completed the "double journey" on 10 February 2013 after the journey from Elephant Island to South Georgia and the mountain crossing. * 2013 – Sixth Venezuelan Scientific Expedition to Antarctica. * 2013–2014 – Ben Saunders and Tarka L'Herpiniere make the first ever completion of the Terra Nova Expedition first taken by Robert Falcon Scott in January 1912. Their , 105-day return journey to the South Pole is the longest ever polar journey on foot. * 2013 – Parker Liautaud and Douglas Stoup attempt in December 2013 the Willis Resilience Expedition to set a "coast to Pole" speed record by reaching the geographical

on skis in the fastest journey ever recorded from an interior of continent start while being followed by a support vehicle. * 2013 – Antony Jinman will walk to the South Pole solo for the 2013 ETE Teachers South Pole Mission, during which he will be in daily contact with schoolchildren from across the United Kingdom and will make films using the world's first drone flights at the South Pole. * 2013 �
Maria Leijerstam
becomes the first person to cycle from the Antarctic coast to South Pole. She also set the human powered speed record in 10 days, 14 hours and 56 minutes. * 2013–2014 – Lewis Clarke (aged 16 years and 61 days) guided by Carl Alvey (aged 30) became the youngest person to trek from the Antarctic coast at Hercules Inlet to the South Pole. His expedition was in support of the Prince's Trust and his achievement is recognised by Guinness World Records. * 2013–2014 – Married couple Christine (Chris) Fagan and Marty Fagan became the first American married couple (and second married couple in history) to complete a full unguided, unsupported, unassisted ski from the Antarctic coast to the South Pole. They join just over 100 people in history who have traveled to the South Pole in this manner. Their expedition took 48 days. Their achievement is recognized by Guinness World Records. * 2013–2014 –

Daniel P. Burton Daniel Paul Burton (born December 4, 1963) is an American bicycle enthusiast from Eagle Mountain, Utah, and the first person to complete an expedition from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole by bicycle (though not the first to cycle to i ...

completes the first bicycle ride from coast to the South Pole. * 2013–2014 –

Chris Turney Christian S. M. Turney is the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research at the University of Technology Sydney. He was previously the Professor of Climate Change and Earth Science and Director of thEarth and Sustainability Science Research Centreand thC ...

led an expedition, entitled "

Spirit of Mawson Spirit or spirits may refer to: Liquor and other volatile liquids * Spirits, a.k.a. liquor, distilled alcoholic drinks * Spirit or tincture, an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol * Volatile (especially flammable) liquids, ...

", aimed at highlighting the decline in sea ice due to

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...

. The expedition was abandoned when its Russian ship became stuck in unusually large amounts of sea ice. * 2013 – In December 2013 the Expeditions 7 Team led by Scott Brady made a successful east-to-west crossing in four-wheel drive vehicles from Novolazarevskaya to the Ross Ice Shelf via the Scott-Amundsen South Pole Station. Expeditions 7's logistic plan included providing assistance to the

Walking With The Wounded Walking With The Wounded (WWTW) is a British charity to help injured former British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, i ...

expedition, which was required at latitude 88°S. From the Ross Ice Shelf the Expeditions 7 team returned to Novolazarevskaya via the same route. *2015–2016 – Luke Robertson (UK) becomes the first Scot – and the first person with an artificial pacemaker – to ski solo, unsupported (no resupply) and unassisted (no kiting) from the coast of Antarctica ( Hercules Inlet) to the South Pole. * 2015–2016 – Henry Worsley died while attempting to complete the first solo and unaided crossing of the Antarctic. * 2016 – First Homeward Bound expedition, then the largest all-women expedition to Antarctica. * 2016–2017 – Malgorzata Wojtaczka – 52 years old Polish, after 69 days completes solo-unaided-unsupported expedition from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole. * 2016–2017 – Spear17, a six-man team from the British Army Reserves successfully completed a full traverse of Antarctica. They set off on 16 November from Hercules Inlet, arrived at the South Pole on Christmas Day, and completed a full traverse reaching Ross Ice Shelf on 20 January 2017. The aim of the expedition was to raise the profile of the army reservists, and to honour the memory of fellow explorer Henry Worsley. The team was led by Captain Louis Rudd, MBE *2016–2017 – Eric Philips (guide), Keith Tuffley and Rob Smith ski a new route to the South Pole from the Ross Ice Shelf through the Transantarctic Mountains following the

Reedy Glacier The Reedy Glacier is a major glacier in Antarctica, over 160 km (100 mi) long and from 10 to 19 km (6 to 12 mi) wide, descending from the polar plateau to the Ross Ice Shelf between the Michigan Plateau and Wisconsin Range, an ...

. The expedition covers 605 km in 33 days setting off 8 December 2017 and arriving 10 January 2017. * 2016–2017 – On 7 February Mike Horn completes first ever solo, unsupported north-to-south traverse of Antarctica from the Princess Astrid Coast (lat −70.1015 lon 9.8249) to the Dumont D'urville Station (lat −66.6833 lon 139.9167) via the South Pole. He arrived at the pole on 7 February 2017. A total distance of 5100 km was covered utilizing kites and skis in 57 days. *2016–2017 – Eric Philips (guide), Heath Jamieson (guide), Jade Hameister, Paul Hameister and Ming D'Arcy ski a new route to the South Pole from the Ross Ice Shelf through the Transantarctic Mountains following the

then

Kansas Glacier Kansas Glacier () is a steep glacier, long, draining northeast from Stanford Plateau, Antarctica, to enter Reedy Glacier just north of Blubaugh Nunatak. It was mapped by the United States Geological Survey from surveys and U.S. Navy air photos, ...

. The expedition covers 605 km in 33 days, setting off 6 December 2017 and arriving 11 January 2018. * 2017–2018 – Astrid Forhold (Norway), supported by Jan Sverre Sivertsen, skies the longest part of the original

Roald Amundsen Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen (, ; ; 16 July 1872 – ) was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He was a key figure of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Born in Borge, Østfold, Norway, Amundsen beg ...

route from Bay of Whales to the South Pole. * 2018 –

Colin O'Brady Colin Timothy O'Brady (born March 16, 1985) is an American professional endurance athlete, motivational speaker and adventurer. He is a former professional triathlete, representing the United States on the ITU Triathlon World Cup circuit, racin ...

(USA) completed an unsupported (no resupplies or supply drops) solo crossing of Antarctica (not including the ice shelves). He started inland at the end of the Ronne Ice Shelf on 3 November 2018, passed through the South Pole and arrived inland at the start of the

on 26 December 2018. Louis Rudd (UK), who started on the same day as Brady and took a similar route, completed his unsupported solo trek two days later, arriving at Ross Ice Shelf on 28 December 2018 *2018–2019 – On 13 January, Matthieu Tordeur (France) becomes the first French and youngest in the world (27 years and 40 days) to ski solo, unsupported (no resupply) and unassisted (no kiting) from the coast of Antarctica (Hercules Inlet) to the South Pole. *2019 – SD 1020, an unmanned surface vehicle (USV) designed by British engineer

Richard Jenkins Richard Dale Jenkins (born May 4, 1947) is an American actor who is well known for his portrayal of deceased patriarch Nathaniel Fisher on the HBO funeral drama series '' Six Feet Under'' (2001–2005). He began his career in theater at the Tri ...

o
Saildrone, Inc.
in Alameda, CA, completed the first autonomous circumnavigation of Antarctica, sailing through the Southern Ocean in 196 days, from 19 January 2019 to 3 August 2019. The vehicle was deployed and retrieved from Bluff, New Zealand. *2019 – The first human-powered transit (by rowing) across the Drake Passage was accomplished on 25 December 2019, by captain

Fiann Paul Fiann Paul (born 15 August 1980) is an Icelandic explorer, athlete, artist, speaker and Jungian psychoanalyst. He is the world's most record-breaking explorer, and holds the world's highest number of performance-based Guinness World Records ev ...

(Iceland), first mate

(US),

Andrew Towne use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates ...

(US), Cameron Bellamy (South Africa), Jamie Douglas-Hamilton (UK) and John Petersen (US). *2019–2020 –

Anja Blacha Anja Karen Blacha (born 18 June 1990) is a German mountaineer. Blacha holds a number of climbing records: in 2017, she became the youngest German woman to successfully climb Mount Everest and the youngest German overall to climb all Seven Summits a ...

completes the longest solo, unsupported, unassisted polar expedition by a woman, skiing from Berkner Island to the South Pole *2019–2020 –

Mollie Hughes Mollie Hughes (born 3 July 1990) is a British mountaineer and sports adventurer who in 2017 broke the world record for becoming the youngest woman to climb both sides of Mount Everest, and in 2020 became the youngest woman to ski solo to the Sout ...

skied from Hercules Inlet to the pole, travelling . *2021–2022 – Preet Chandi, a British Sikh army officer, became the first woman of colour to reach the south pole unassisted.

Agreements

* 1959 –

Antarctic Treaty System russian: link=no, Договор об Антарктике es, link=no, Tratado Antártico , name = Antarctic Treaty System , image = Flag of the Antarctic Treaty.svgborder , image_width = 180px , caption ...

* 1964 – Agreed Measures for the Conservation of Antarctic Fauna and Flora * 1978 –

Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals The Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (CCAS) is part of the Antarctic Treaty System. It was signed at the conclusion of a multilateral conference in London on February 11, 1972. Contents CCAS had the objective "to promote and ac ...

* 1982 – Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources * 1988 – Convention on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resource Activities * 1998 –

Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, also known as the Madrid Protocol, is a complementary legal instrument to the Antarctic Treaty signed in Madrid on October 4, 1991. It entered into force on January 14, 1998. The ...

Notes

References

* * * 'Extreme South' Struggles & triumph of the first Australian team to the Pole by Ian Brown, Published by Australian Geographic 1999. .

External links

Fram.museum.no
map of Antarctic Expeditions 1772 – 1931 at The Fram Museum (Frammuseet)
SPRI.cam.ac.uk
index to Antarctic Expeditions at the Scott Polar Research Institute's website

information about some of them from the British Antarctic Survey

Chronologies and Timelines of Antarctic Exploration
Antarctic Exploration Timeline
animated map of Antarctic exploration and settlement * Listen to Ernest Shackleton describing his 190
South Pole Expedition
and read more about the recording on ustralianscreen online * The recording describing Shackleton's 1908 South Pole Expedition was added to the National Film and Sound Archive'
Sounds of Australia Registry
in 2007
Before she’s lost to decay on the West Coast, former Antarctica researchers in Maine want to save their storied 'Hero'
Portland Magazine. 8 November 2012 {{Polar exploration , state=uncollapsed Expeditions Antarctic expeditions

Pre-exploration theories

Pre-19th century

19th century

20th century

21st century

Agreements

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

External links