# What is at the South pole? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 10, 2006, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-at-the-south-pole/356252 "2006-05-10T18:06:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![vertizontal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ad7895/32.png) [@vertizontal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vertizontal)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-at-the-south-pole/356252/1 "2006-05-10T18:06:52Z")
Is there anything permanently constructed at the exact point of the geographic South pole? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-at-the-south-pole/356252/2 "2006-05-10T18:12:24Z")
The [Anti-Claus](http://www.projo.com/seasonal/holidays/badsanta2003/uploads/1072076712.jpg) lives there. Be afraid. Be _very_ afraid. 😉 😛 😃 ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-at-the-south-pole/356252/3 "2006-05-10T18:25:57Z")
[QUOTE=vertizontal] Is there anything permanently constructed at the exact point of the geographic South pole? [/QUOTE] > **[Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station (Bill Spindler's Antarctica)](https://www.southpolestation.com/)** > > The unofficial web site for Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, featuring the comprehensive history of the place from the old days to the present. Here are Antarctic photos, stories, trivia, audio clips, and news from then and now. ---
**Author:** ![matt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@matt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-at-the-south-pole/356252/4 "2006-05-10T18:26:00Z")
Yes and no. There’s the South Pole station, which is an international research outpost, and is located roughly at the South Pole. See: [http://personal.ecu.edu/johnsonje/spole.htm](http://personal.ecu.edu/johnsonje/spole.htm) and [http://www.southpolestation.com/](http://www.southpolestation.com/) for details. At the exact spot of the South Pole, there is a marker but no buildings, see the last pic (not animated gif) from the first link. Also, because the ice on Anarctica moves, they have to relocate the marker every year, see the 2nd last Q and A from [http://astro.uchicago.edu/cara/southpole.edu/qanda/qa\_travel.html](http://astro.uchicago.edu/cara/southpole.edu/qanda/qa_travel.html) . Google south pole station marker for a whole bunch of links! ---
**Author:** ![matt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@matt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-at-the-south-pole/356252/5 "2006-05-10T18:29:48Z")
Beaten during preview! Well, I’m not going to preview this one, so, a bit more detail on the marker: [Where is the real Pole really?](http://www.southpolestation.com/pole/survey.html) ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-at-the-south-pole/356252/6 "2006-05-10T18:37:05Z")
[QUOTE=matt] Beaten during preview! Well, I’m not going to preview this one, so, a bit more detail on the marker: [Where is the real Pole really?](http://www.southpolestation.com/pole/survey.html) [/QUOTE] Yes, but yours was much more comprehensive. My hat is off to you sir. ---
**Author:** ![solkoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@solkoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solkoe)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-at-the-south-pole/356252/7 "2006-05-10T22:21:48Z")
How far does the South Pole marker drift every year? ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-at-the-south-pole/356252/8 "2006-05-10T23:12:37Z")
A related question: it’s often noted in Antarctica trivia that it is the highest continent (in terms of mean altitude) due to the thickness of the icecap, beating out Asia and South America. Is there information available on what would be its status without the icecap (presumably taking post-glacial rebound into effect)? Is it largely high plateaux beneath the ice, or more similar to Australia, North America, etc., with a mix of lowland and highland areas?