All of us here in G-097 can agree that the hardest place to get to on planet Earth is the Fosdick Mountains. It all began in the 1928–1930 during the Byrd expeditions when aerial flights discovered and named the greater mountain region after Edsel Ford (son of Henry Ford and former president of the Ford Motor Company). The first inland expedition was lead by geologist F. Alton Wade and biologist Paul A. Siple (of Siple Dome fame…) via dogsled in 1934–1935. Siple and one other proceeded to the mountain range named after Raymond Fosdick, a former president of the Rockefeller Foundation. The first geological work was conducted by a team in 1940 lead by biologist J.E. Perkins and included: Dr. E.E. Lockhart, H.H. Richardson, and L. Columbo, whom after peaks are named. Columbo conducted the majority of the geological work and broke the ice (pun intended…) for detailed geological sampling in the Fosdick Mountains. Since the conclusion of these pioneering expeditions several groups have tackled the geology of the mighty Fosdick Mountains including teams from:
- Texas Technology College (1967–1968)
- University of California Santa Barbara (1989–1991; NSF–OPP 8817615)
- University of California Santa Barbara and Colorado College (1998–2001; NSF–OPP 9615282)
- Colorado College and University of Minnesota (2005–2007; NSF–OPP 0338279)
- University of Maryland (2006–2008; NSF–OPP 0631324 and 0734505)
What will the future studies of the Fosdick Mountains hold? Just you wait and see…
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| Mt. Iphigene circa 1940. |
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| Mt. Iphigene circa 2006. |
* historical information from Lawrence Warner's 1945 paper in proceedings of the American Philosophical Society (v. 89, p. 78–112).
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