The Hallowe'en Crack

by Roger Tiffin

The recent bad weather made me get stuck in and sort out some more photos/slides.
I came across a map and a slide that I’m sure would be of interest to anyone who knows about ice shelves.
Trusting my not so reliable memory......................
In 1969 a "new crack" opened up in the ice shelf - travelling due East from the Gin Bottle. The line of the crack appears remarkably similar to the new Hallowe'en Crack that has led to the current Halley base being evacuated for the winter.
I attach a picture of the crack (with Abdul Smith peering over the edge) and a copy of a diagrammatic map I made at the time for my parents, documenting my short trips from base that year. The map is not remotely to scale, but you can see the broad picture. Myself and Ron James followed the new crack and crossed it before travelling round the D line and into the crossing.
I have no idea what happened to the 1969 new crack after I left, or indeed what happened to the low ice shelf, but might the records give a clue to the outcome of the existing situation?

[20 February 2017]