GEOCRYOLOGICAL CONSTRUCTIONAL ASPECTS AT ANTARCTICA AND INDIAN HIMALAYAS

The farthest, coldest, loneliest, harshest, and pristine frozen continent of Antarctica- ‘Terra-Incognita’ as well as vast expanse of higher morphogenic tracts of rugged and formidable lofty snowbound Indian Himalayas (also called “Third Polar Region”) poses myriads of challenges and mind boggling complex technological problems for cold region engineers. Not withstanding the fact, that human spatial pattern is very sparse in these regions, many indiscreet scientific and tourist activities are taking place in these regions bringing awareness to the hidden natural resources in these obscure periglacial/glacial terrain. The author (Pathak) had taken part in the Ninth Indian Antarctic Expedition (1989–90) and was especially entrusted for civil engineering task of construction of experimental Green House at Maitri, Antarctica. The station has also been further updated by latest technological advancement for which the author had visited CRREL(USA), Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI) at Cambridge, UK and British Antarctic Survey (BAS),UK and also Discovery Point at Dundee (Scotland, UK) during recent years. Some special foundations of grillages, jack-up type platforms on the pattern of Hailey Bay V station of UK etc, has been tried out on glaciers as no permanent work can be done on glaciers as it is still a grey area for civil engineers all over the world. Construction of helipads and other cold region structures have been suitably presented in the paper. It is sincerely hoped that the present paper will open up new avenues/vistas for further futuristic research work in cold region engineering terrain.

• INTRODUCTION

• GEOCRYOLOGICAL AND GEO-TECHNICAL APPRECIATION

• GEOCRYOLOGICAL AND GEO-TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF FOUNDATIONS

• WATER SUPPLY AS OFFSHORE UTILIDOR SYSTEM

• PRINCIPLE OF SNOW COMPACTION AND PAVEMENT DESIGN

• CONCLUSIONS

• ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

• REFERENCE