Of Maps and Men: The Mysterious Discovery of Antarctica - Paperback

by John G. Weihaupt Phd (Author)

This story begins with Dr. Weihaupt's explorations in the deep unexplored interior of Antarctica and the questions they inspired. Today we have a good understanding of the nature of our planet and its human history, yet there are inevitably more questions about who and what we are than there are answers. We know so little about our human past. When we get them, the answers are astonishing. The Ice Ages call into question far more recent history, the world of splendid ships, hearty mariners, intrepid explorers, breathtaking courage, and imaginative cartographers. What we witness in this book is the examinations of glaciers and ice sheets that lead to fascinating mysteries of human Medieval and Renaissance times. These mysteries include the discovery of Antarctica. The first to sight that continent, as recorded in history books, were scruffy whalers of colorful lore. However, there is another side to this story hidden deep in the Ice Age scientific record. Ancient maps are at the heart of this inquiry. If you enjoy maps, you will enjoy the adventure that unfolds. If not, your time is better spent in less adventurous pursuits. If you read this book, you will find that rarely do nature and history converge to reveal glimpses not only of the secrets of the snows, but of our unknown historic past. Nor are all of the mysteries solved; we are left still wondering, still blessed with the gift of the unknown. There are deep mysteries wafting in the breezes of both polar ice and mind. Readers will revisit the rich history of early explorations and follow in the footsteps of the adventurers of our historic past. Seldom do science and history so ably complement each other.

Author Biography

Dr. John Weihaupt, great-great-great-great nephew of Captain William Clark of Northwest Territories fame, and of George Rogers Clark, is a world explorer with, in particular, explorations in Alaska, Newfoundland, Canada, Chile, South America, and three expeditions to Antarctica. His field work and research are largely in geophysics and geology, and he is credited with the discovery of the Wilkes Land Gravity Anomaly, that may be the largest meteorite impact crater on Earth, lying beneath two miles of ice in East Antarctica. He is also co-discoverer of the USARP Mountain Range in Victoria Land, Antarctica, co-discoverer of the Wilkes Subglacial Basin in Antarctica, and he is credited with the discovery of the Orontius Finaeus map of Antarctica which predates the traditional date of discovery of that continent by some three centuries. That ancient discovery, and the role of Earth's vacillating climate in changing the course of human exploratory history, is what this book is about. For his contributions to polar exploration and research, Mount Weihaupt, a mountain in Victoria Land, Antarctica, has been named for Dr. Weihaupt by the United States National Science Foundation, the United States Geological Survey, and the International Board on Geographic Names.