Orcadas Base
| Orcadas Antarctic Station | |
|---|---|
| Antarctic base | |
Orcadas Base, December 1996
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 Orcadas Antarctic Station
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| Coordinates: 60°44′25″S 44°44′33″W / 60.74028°S 44.74250°WCoordinates: 60°44′25″S 44°44′33″W / 60.74028°S 44.74250°W | |
| Country |
 Argentina
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| Province | Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica, and South Atlantic Islands Province |
| Department | Antártida Argentina |
| Region | South Orkney Islands (Spanish: Islas Orcadas del Sur) |
| Location | Laurie Island |
| Established | 1903 (by the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition) |
| Founded | 1904 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Directorate |
| • Body | Dirección Nacional del Antártico |
| Elevation | 4 m (13 ft) |
| Population |
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| Time zone | ART (UTC-3) |
| Type | All year-round |
| Period | Annual |
| Status | Active and operational |
Base Orcadas is an Argentine scientific station in Antarctica, and the oldest of the stations in Antarctica still in operation. It is located on Laurie Island, one of the South Orkney Islands (Spanish: Islas Orcadas del Sur), at 4 meters (13.1 ft) above sea level and 170 meters (558 ft) from the coastline. Established by the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition in 1903 and transferred to the Argentine government in 1904, the base has been permanently populated since, being one of six Argentine permanent bases in Argentina's claim to Antarctica, and the first permanently inhabited base in Antarctica.
The nearest port is the Argentine city of Ushuaia, which is 1,502 km (933 mi) away. The base has 11 buildings and four main topics of research: continental glaciology, seismology, sea-ice-zone glaciology (since 1985) and meteorological observations (since 1903).
Orcadas was the only station on the islands for 40 years until the British established a small summer base, Cape Geddes Station in Laurie Island in 1946, replaced by Signy Research Station in Signy Island in 1947. It also had the first radiotelegraph in the continent in 1927. The 11 buildings of the station house up to 45 people during the summer, and an average of 14 during winter.
In 1903 Dr William S. Bruce's Scottish National Antarctic Expedition established Omond House, a meteorological station on Laurie Island. During the expedition, however, the crew became stuck in the ice and, unable to sail off, were trapped in the station for the winter.
Bruce left the station in December of that year for Buenos Aires to fix the ship and obtain supplies, leaving meteorologist Robert C. Mossman in charge of the base to continue the observations.
Bruce offered to the Government of President Julio Argentino Roca the transfer of the station and instruments for the sum of 5.000 pesos, on the condition that the government committed itself to the continuation of the scientific mission. He also offered to transport in his ship the appointed personnel back to the station.
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