A few days after arriving on the continent, the actual work of the Geophysicists starts. We install seismometer stations on the Antarctic mainland and in the Transantarctic Mountains by use of helicopters and airplanes. These seismometer stations are meant to record earthquake waves that are "illuminating" the earth, quite similar to an X-ray photograph. Most of the earthquake waves travel here from the other side of the planet. With this technique an image of the earth's interior beneath Antarctica can be generated, which brings new information about how this continent developed - and also gives us an important clue about the future of our whole planet.

The smoking Mt. Erebus volcano is visible in the background of this picture.