Why Venture to the South Pole?
The Antarctic fascinated many adventurers over the years, and they were motivated by a variety
of factors. In terms of geographic exploration, Scott and Shackleton discovered that the rocks and
structure around the Ross Sea were remarkably like the rock structure of Australia (Taylor, 1930).
This, however, did not curb the scientific community’s curiosity surrounding the mystery of what
awaited inland. With the goal of investigating specialized polar phenomena, Sir James Ross was
dispatched in 1840 by the British government to advance scientific knowledge of magnetism.
Ross’ journey also served to claim honor for his country by claiming the South Magnetic Pole for
Britain, just as he did on the North Magnetic Pole. The South Magnetic Pole, however, differs
from the geographic South Pole. The geographic distance between the South Geographic Pole
and the South Magnetic Pole is approximately 2,858 kilometers (1,775 miles) (Taylor, 1930).
However, as of 1912, the geographic pole remained elusive to polar explorers.