# Odd structures on the Antarctic Polar Plateau

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-structures-on-the-antarctic-polar-plateau/661264>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 18, 2013, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-structures-on-the-antarctic-polar-plateau/661264 "2013-06-18T12:58:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\
**Post date:** [June 18, 2013, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-structures-on-the-antarctic-polar-plateau/661264/1 "2013-06-18T12:58:40Z")

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I’m watching The Last Place on Earth right now about the Amundsen and Scott expeditions to the South Pole. I just finished Episode 4 last night, where Amundsen’s group reached the Polar Plateau.

Several miles into it, they found some strange structures. They looked like cones, and when Amundsen hit one with his pick-axe, it crumbled. He conjectured they were formed by pressure.

Would anyone have any idea what these cones were? I’ve been trying to find pictures of them, but have not had any luck.

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**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\
**Post date:** [June 18, 2013, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-structures-on-the-antarctic-polar-plateau/661264/2 "2013-06-18T13:11:24Z")

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_“Tekeli-li !”_

**"Tekeli-li !"**

**"Tekeli-li !"**

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**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\
**Post date:** [June 18, 2013, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-structures-on-the-antarctic-polar-plateau/661264/3 "2013-06-18T14:14:11Z")

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Yeah - I’m thinking they were not entrances to the hollow earth.

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**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\
**Post date:** [June 18, 2013, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-structures-on-the-antarctic-polar-plateau/661264/4 "2013-06-18T14:34:53Z")

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Might have been some version of nieve penitentes?

> **[Penitente](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penitentes)**
>
> Penitente or penitentes may refer to

Any google search on any topic should yield a conspiracy theory.  
Here’s one about the South Pole: [http://www.enterprisemission.com/antarctica.htm](http://www.enterprisemission.com/antarctica.htm)

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**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\
**Post date:** [June 18, 2013, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-structures-on-the-antarctic-polar-plateau/661264/5 "2013-06-18T18:09:04Z")

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> [@aNewLeaf](#):
>
> Any google search on any topic should yield a conspiracy theory.  
> Here’s one about the South Pole: [http://www.enterprisemission.com/antarctica.htm](http://www.enterprisemission.com/antarctica.htm)

The Russians broke through Lake Vostok more than a year ago now. Hoagland really needs to update that page with speculation on what the Russkies are doing with the Monolith they found.

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**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\
**Post date:** [June 18, 2013, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-structures-on-the-antarctic-polar-plateau/661264/6 "2013-06-18T18:23:01Z")

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In Nat Geo a while back there was an article about ice caves in Antarctica formed by geothermal activity. There are cave vents that form chimney-like structures from the freezing condensation. They’re hollow inside and would crumble if struck, I’d think.

The first picture at [this link](http://earthref.org/drupal/content/ice-caves-mt-erebus) is what they look like. Not really a cone, though.

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**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\
**Post date:** [June 18, 2013, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-structures-on-the-antarctic-polar-plateau/661264/7 "2013-06-18T23:33:42Z")

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I think that’s it. Thanks.