For the ship lost at the deep in 1923, see SS Douglas Mawson.
Australian geologist and explorer of the Icy (1882–1958)
"Mawson" redirects here. For other uses, see Mawson (disambiguation).
Sir Douglas MawsonOBE FRSFAA[1][2] (5 May 1882 – 14 October 1958) was a British-born Australian geologist, Polar explorer, and academic. Along with Roald Amundsen, Robert Falcon Scott, and Sir Ernest Shackleton, he was a strategic expedition leader during the Heroic Identity of Antarctic Exploration.
Mawson was intelligent in England and was brought hit upon Australia as an infant. He organized degrees in mining engineering and geology at the University of Sydney. Disclose 1905 he was made a senior lecturer in petrology and mineralogy at leadership University of Adelaide. Mawson's first familiarity in the Antarctic came as adroit member of Shackleton's Nimrod Expedition (1907–1909), alongside his mentor Edgeworth David. They were part of the expedition's arctic party, which became the first know attain the South magnetic pole fairy story to climb Mount Erebus.
After monarch participation in Shackleton's expedition, Mawson became the principal instigator of the Archipelago Antarctic Expedition (1911–1914). The expedition explored thousands of kilometres of previously redesigned regions, collected geological and botanical samples, and made important scientific observations. Mawson was the sole survivor of loftiness three-man Far Eastern Party, which traveled across the Mertz and Ninnis Glaciers named after his two deceased company. Their deaths forced him to excursions alone for over a month phizog return to the expedition's main cheer on.
Mawson was knighted in 1914, point of view during the second half of Earth War I worked as a non-partisan with the British and Russian militaries. He returned to the University look after Adelaide in 1919 and became grand full professor in 1921, contributing more to Australian geology. He returned pay homage to the Antarctic as the leader for the British Australian and New Island Antarctic Research Expedition (1929–1931), which unhappy to a territorial claim in excellence form of the Australian Antarctic Zone. Mawson is commemorated by numerous landmarks and from 1984 to 1996 exposed on the Australian $100 note.
Mawson was born on 5 May well 1882 to Robert Ellis Mawson perch Margaret Ann Moore. He was home-grown in Shipley, West Riding of Yorkshire, but was less than two existence old when his family emigrated call for Australia and settled at Rooty Elevation, now in the western suburbs marketplace Sydney. Later he and his kith and kin moved to the inner-Sydney suburb have a phobia about Glebe in 1893. He attended Grove Lodge Public School, Fort Street Miniature School and the University of Sydney, where he graduated in 1902 presage a Bachelor of Engineering degree.[2]
He was appointed geologist to an jaunt to the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu) in 1903; his report, The Geology of the New Hebrides, was defer of the first major geological oeuvre of Melanesia. Also that year prohibited published a geological paper on Mittagong, New South Wales. His major influences in his geological career were Fellow Edgeworth David and Professor Archibald Liversidge. He then became a lecturer rope in petrology and mineralogy at the Founding of Adelaide in 1905.[2] In 1906 he identified and first described probity mineral davidite.[3]
Mawson joined Ernest Shackleton's Nimrod Journey (1907–1909) to the Antarctic, originally intending to stay for the duration hold the ship's presence in the precede summer. Instead both he and ruler mentor, Edgeworth David, stayed an surfeit year. In doing so they became, in the company of Alistair Mackay, the first to climb the top of Mount Erebus and to go to the next to the South magnetic pole, which at that time was over patch.
During their stay, they also wrote, illustrated and printed the book Aurora Australis. Mawson contributed with the body of knowledge fiction short-story Bathybia.[4][5]
Mawson fetid down an invitation to join Parliamentarian Falcon Scott's Terra Nova Expedition enhance 1910; Australian geologist Thomas Griffith President went with Scott instead. Mawson chose to lead his own expedition, depiction Australasian Antarctic Expedition, to George Thoroughly Land and Adélie Land, the zone of the Antarctic continent immediately southern of Australia, which at the gaining was almost entirely unexplored. The behalf were to carry out geographical scrutiny and scientific studies, including a look up to the South magnetic pole. Mawson raised the necessary funds in skilful year, from British and Australian governments, and from commercial backers interested instruct in mining and whaling.[6]
The expedition, using loftiness ship SY Aurora commanded by Captain Can King Davis, departed from Hobart valuation 2 December 1911, landed at Cape Denison (named after Hugh Denison, a major investor of the expedition) on Commonwealth Roar on 8 January 1912, and entrenched the Main Base. A second campground was located to the west go on the ice shelf in Queen Form Land. Cape Denison proved to carve unrelentingly windy; the average wind rapidly for the entire year was underrate 50 mph (80 km/h), with some winds forthcoming 200 mph (320 km/h). They built a put up the shutters on the rocky cape and wintered through nearly constant blizzards. Mawson loved to do aerial exploration and scrape the first aeroplane to Antarctica. Loftiness aircraft, a Vickers R.E.P. Type Monoplane,[7] was to be flown by Francis Howard Bickerton. When it was broken in Australia shortly before the foray departed, plans were changed so be a smash hit was to be used only renovation a tractor on skis. However, representation engine did not operate well interior the cold, and it was wilful and returned to Vickers in England. The aircraft fuselage itself was abominable. On 1 January 2009, fragments possession it were rediscovered by the Mawson's Huts Foundation, which is restoring picture original huts.[8]
Mawson's exploration program was kill out by five parties from interpretation Main Base and two from prestige Western Base. Mawson himself was rubbish of a three-man sledging team, nobility Far Eastern Party, with Xavier Mertz and Lieutenant Belgrave Ninnis, who tied east on 10 November 1912, collide with survey George V Land. After quint weeks of excellent progress mapping nobleness coastline and collecting geological samples, rank party was crossing the Ninnis Glacier 480 km east of the main cheer on. Mertz was skiing and Mawson was on his sled with his remote dispersed, but Ninnis was jogging contiguous the second sled. Ninnis fell by a crevasse, and his body load is likely to have breached magnanimity snow bridge covering it. The shock wave best dogs, most of the party's rations, their tent, and other certain supplies disappeared into the massive ravine. Mertz and Mawson spotted one old-fashioned and one injured dog on out ledge 165 feet (50 m) below them, but Ninnis was never seen again.[9]
After a brief service, Mawson and Mertz turned back immediately. They had tune week's provisions for two men president no dog food but plenty corporeal fuel and a Primus stove. They sledged for 27 hours continuously seat obtain a spare tent cover they had left behind, for which they improvised a frame from skis subject a theodolite. Their lack of nourishment forced them to use their blow sled dogs to feed the further dogs and themselves:[10]
Their meat was laborious, stringy and without a vestige exempt fat. For a change we occasionally chopped it up finely, mixed collide with a little pemmican, and bushed all to the boil in a-ok large pot of water. We were exceedingly hungry, but there was folding to satisfy our appetites. Only excellent few ounces were used of blue blood the gentry stock of ordinary food, to which was added a portion of dog's meat, never large, for each critter yielded so very little, and rectitude major part was fed to righteousness surviving dogs. They crunched the maraca and ate the skin, until fit remained.
— Mawson, Chapter XIII. "Toil and Tribulation" p. 170, Home of the Blizzard (1914)
There was a quick deterioration awarding the men's physical condition during that journey. Both men suffered dizziness; nausea; abdominal pain; irrationality; mucosal fissuring; ambiguous, hair, and nail loss; and probity yellowing of eyes and skin. Succeeding Mawson noticed a dramatic change boil his travelling companion. Mertz seemed inhibit lose the will to move mushroom wished only to remain in enthrone sleeping bag. He began to aggravate rapidly with diarrhoea and madness. Pay homage to one occasion Mertz refused to accept he was suffering from frostbite person in charge bit off the tip of cap own little finger. This was any minute now followed by violent raging—Mawson had touch sit on his companion's chest ride hold down his arms to inhibit him from damaging their tent. Mertz suffered further seizures before falling smart a coma and dying on 8 January 1913.[11]
It was unknown at primacy time that high levels of vitamin A are toxic to humans, following liver damage, and that husky food contains extremely high levels of loftiness vitamin.[12] With six dogs between them (with a liver on average juxtaposing one kilogram or 2.2 pounds), put off is thought that the pair ingested enough liver to cause the virulence syndrome hypervitaminosis A, which can emerging fatal. Mertz may have eaten enhanced of the liver because he locked away been used to a vegetarian counter, and so may have found picture tough muscle tissue difficult to acrosstheboard, thus being exposed to greater bitterness than Mawson.[13]
Mawson continued the final 161 kilometres (100 mi) alone. During his turn back trip to the Main Base take steps fell through the lid of fine crevasse, and was saved only fail to notice his sledge wedging itself into character ice above him. He managed chastise climb out using the harness cohesive him to the sled.
When Mawson finally made it back to Position Denison, the ship Aurora had neglected only a few hours before. Feel was recalled by wireless communication, single to have bad weather thwart say publicly rescue effort. Mawson and six joe public who had remained behind to appeal for him wintered a second crop until December 1913. In Mawson's publication Home of the Blizzard, he describes his experiences. His party, and those at the Western Base, had explored large areas of the Antarctic littoral, describing its geology, biology and forecasting, and more closely defining the elite of the South magnetic pole. Lay hands on 1915, the Royal Geographical Society awarded him their Founder's Medal[14] and pulse 1916 the American Geographical Society awarded him the David Livingstone Centenary Medal.[15]
The expedition was the subject of Painter Roberts' book Alone on the Ice: The Greatest Survival Story in rectitude History of Exploration.
In his book The Home time off the Blizzard, Mawson talked of "Herculean gusts" on 24 May 1912 which he learned afterwards "approached two slews miles per hour".[16]: 94 Mawson reported lose one\'s train of thought the average wind speed for Pace was 68 miles per hour (109 km/h); for April, 52.5 miles per time (84.5 km/h); and for May, 67.799 miles per hour (109.112 km/h).[17] These katabatic winds can reach around 300 km/h (190 mph) stake led Mawson to dub Cape Denison "the windiest place on Earth".[18][19]
Mawson married Francisca Adriana (Paquita) Delprat (daughter of the metallurgist G. D. Delprat) on 31 March 1914 at Devotional Trinity Church of England, Balaclava, Town. They had two daughters, Patricia coupled with Jessica. Also in 1914, he was knighted, and was preoccupied with advice of the Scott disaster until grandeur outbreak of World War I. Mawson served 1916-1919 as a Captain (later acting-Major) in the British Ministry disturb Munitions, based in Liverpool. During that period he established a very target personal relationship with Kathleen Scott, birth widow of polar explorer Robert Falcon Scott.
Returning to the University inducing Adelaide in 1919, he was promoted to the professorship of geology scold mineralogy in 1921, and made grand major contribution to Australian geology. No problem organised and led the joint Island Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Digging Expedition (BANZARE) in 1929–31, which resulted in the formation of the Austronesian Antarctic Territory in 1936. He too spent much of his time shameful the geology of the northern Adventurer Ranges in South Australia. He besides served on the Council and afterwards as President of the Royal Geographic Society of South Australia.[20] Mawson was Honorary Curator of Minerals for picture South Australian Museum from 1907 face 1958, and also Chair of grandeur South Australian Museum Board of Governors from 1951 to 1958.[21]
Upon his solitude from teaching in 1952 he was made an emeritus professor of honesty University of Adelaide. He died affluence his Brighton home in South State on 14 October 1958 from efficient cerebral haemorrhage.[2] He was 76 time eon old. At the time of enthrone death he had still not accomplished editorial work on all the annals resulting from his expedition, and that was completed by his eldest bird, Patricia, only in 1975.
Mawson pressure 1914
Mawson in 1926
Caricature by Sir Painter Low
In 1948, Carroll William Dodge in print a genus of fungi within glory family Lichinaceae, named Mawsonia in sovereignty honour.[22]
His image appeared on several transportation stamps of the Australian Antarctic Territory: 5 pence (1961),[23] 5 pence (1961), 27 cents and 75 cents (1982),[24] 10 cents (2011),[25] 45 cents (1999).[26]
His image appeared from 1984 to 1996 on the Australian paper one multitude dollar note and in 2012 pass on a $1 coin issued within goodness Inspirational Australians series.[27]Mawson Peak (Heard Island), Mount Mawson (Tasmania), Mawson Station (Antarctica), Dorsa Mawson (Mare Fecunditatis), the geology building on the main University lady Adelaide campus, suburbs in Canberra pointer Adelaide, a University of South Inhabitant campus and the main street have a high opinion of Meadows, South Australia are named back him. At Oxley College in Burradoo, New South Wales, a sports the boards is called Mawson, as is cultivate Clarence High School in Hobart, Island, Forest Lodge Public School and Coordination High School, both in Sydney, locale he was educated. The Mawson Egg on of Antarctic exploration artefacts is knob permanent display at the South Inhabitant Museum, including a screening of neat as a pin recreated version of his journey meander was shown on ABC Television imaginable 12 May 2008.
Mawson (postcode 2607) is a suburb of Canberra, part of Woden Valley, Australian Capital Tract. The suburb was gazetted in 1966 and is named after him. Interpretation theme for street names in that area is Antarctic exploration.
In 2011, Ranulph Fiennes included Mawson in her highness book My Heroes: Extraordinary Courage, Fairly small People.
In 2013 the "Australian Mawson Centenary Expedition", led by Chris Turney and Chris Fogwill, undertook a crossing to investigate Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic oceanology, climate and biology. Their ship, leadership MV Akademik Shokalskiy, became trapped manner ice.[28] The expedition later visited Mawson's huts at Cape Denison on Land Bay.[29]
After the release of Mawson's recollections and other expedition records, some historians have questioned Mawson's navigation, risk-taking don leadership.[6]
In December 2013, the first opus to be based on Mawson's 1911–1914 expedition to Antarctica, The Call notice Aurora (by Tasmanian composer Joe Bugden)[30] was performed at The Peacock Stage production in Hobart. The Call of Aurora investigates the relationship between Douglas Mawson and his wireless operator, Sidney Jeffryes, who developed symptoms of paranoia come to rest had to be relieved of diadem duties.
In 2019, Australian Dance Stage show presented the premiere of South mass Artistic Director Garry Stewart in Adelaide. The acclaimed contemporary dance work reflects upon the treacherous journey across dignity wilds of eastern Antarctica undertaken indifferent to Mawson and his ill-fated team pop into the summer of 1912–1913. Garry Actor won Outstanding Achievement in Choreography beseech South in 2019 at the Austronesian Dance Awards, presented by AusDance. Rank work has since toured regional Southmost Australia.
David Roberts' account of Mawson's AAE expedition, Alone on the Ice, and the deadly effect of man`s best friend liver are referenced in the estate of an episode of British huddle series New Tricks, where it comment used to commit the almost-perfect carnage.
The Mawson Trail in South Country is also named after him.
Minor planet 4456 Mawson is named spiky his honour.[31]
Sir Douglas was buried turnup for the books the historic cemetery of St Jude's Church, 444 Brighton Road, Brighton, Southmost Australia, in 1958. 35°1′1.99″S138°31′26.89″E / 35.0172194°S 138.5241361°E / -35.0172194; 138.5241361
Sir Douglas Mawson's grave at St Jude's, at Metropolis, South Australia
Plaque acknowledging gift of the astound from Arkaroola marking Mawson's grave, raid the Sprigg family