Marambio Base

Marambio Base Base Marambio
Antarctic base
Airfield control tower at Marambio
Nickname(s): Spanish: Puerta de Entrada a la Antártida ("Antarctica's Entrance Door")
Marambio Base Location within Antarctica
Coordinates: 64°14′27.65″S 56°37′36.31″W / 64.2410139°S 56.6267528°W / -64.2410139; -56.6267528Coordinates: 64°14′27.65″S 56°37′36.31″W / 64.2410139°S 56.6267528°W / -64.2410139; -56.6267528
Country	Argentina
Province	Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica, and South Atlantic Islands Province
Department	Antártida Argentina
Region	Graham Land, Antarctic Peninsula
Location	Marambio Island
Founded	October 29, 1969 (1969-10-29) (1969–70 austral summer season)
Named for	Gustavo Argentino Marambio
Government
• Type	Directorate
• Body	Dirección Nacional del Antártico
• Operator	Instituto Antártico Argentino
Area
• Indoors	2 ha (5 acres)
Elevation	196 m (643 ft)
Population	Summer: 200 Winter: 55
Time zone	ART (UTC-3)
Type	All year-round
Period	Annual
Status	Active and operational
Facilities	Main hall Dining hall Recreation hall Emergency house Personnel houses Airport Airline passenger terminal Aircraft parking platform Flight deck Flight ground support Library Mail office Gym Chapel Hospital Laundry Kitchen Snow melter Radio and satellite station Main and auxiliary power plants Towing vehicles fleet Personnel and cargo vehicles fleet Road keeping machines fleet Vehicle garage Workshop (mechanical, carpentry, plumbing, blacksmithing, electricity, turning) Laboratory (meteorology, riometry, paleontology, geology, glaciology, geodesy) Freezing chamber (2) Fuel storage array Warehouses and deposits Potable water and sewerage network Waste treatment plant Firefighting system CATV Mobile telephone coverage

Marambio
Aerial view of Marambio's runway
IATA: MBO ICAO: SAWB
Summary
Airport type	landing track
Serves	Marambio Base
Location	Antarctica
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 05/23 4,134 1,260 Graded

Marambio Base (Spanish: Base Marambio) is a permanent, all year-round Argentine Antarctic base named after Vice-Commodore Gustavo Argentino Marambio, an Antarctic aviation pioneer. It is located in Marambio Island, Graham Land, Antarctic Peninsula, some 100 km (60 mi) from the coastal civilian village of Esperanza.

At the time of its construction it was the first airfield in Antarctica and is still one of the most frequently used ones due to its suitability for wheeled landing, for which it is called "Antarctica's Entrance Door" (Spanish: Puerta de Entrada a la Antártida). It is also Argentina's most important base in the continent.

As of 2014^[update] Marambio is one of 13 research bases in Antarctica operated by Argentina.

The increased Antarctic activity that Argentina developed since 1940 created the need for an aviation runway operable throughout the year for wheeled units. The flight of Vice-Commodore Mario Luis Olezza to the South Pole, the newly built United States McMurdo Station and the frequent operations launched from the Matienzo Base showed the need to secure better transport and communications in the sector.

The Argentine Air Force set about to find a suitable spot to mount an airport. On 25 November 1968, two helicopters operating from the icebreaker ARA General San Martín descended on the Marambio Island as part of such survey. Their report favoring the place was decisive: it lacked large obstacles that could trouble aircraft maneuvering, and its long plateau was virtually free of ice.