The meteorites were gathered in an area about one square km in size. The exploration team reports that the distribution of meteorites in the area is fairly dense.

Some of the larger meteorites collected are almost as heavy as one kilogram. Since these meteorites are sealed in ice over a long period of time, the level of contamination is significantly reduced.

In the expedition a year ago, Chinese scientists collected four meteorites in the same area. Liu Xiaohan, a researcher from the Chinese Academy of Sciences who is the leader on both meteorite hunt expeditions, suggests that the area is a new and major meteorite strewn field in Antarctica.

The team traveled in snowmobiles and snowshoes, and used metal detectors to assist in their finding. The exploration team will bring the meteorites back to China for detailed analyses in laboratories.

Xinhua says that the 3,200 square km areas at Grove Mountains are pristine and mostly unexplored. The location is about 500 km from the Zhongshan ("Middle Mountain") Station, one of the two base stations China has set up on the continent.

In addition to the meteorite search, the team also collects samples of rock, soil, ice and air, conducts geological studies, and surveys the area for the production of a topographical map.

This is China's 16th science expedition to Antarctica. The China Research Team left the port of Pudong in Shanghai on November 1, 1999 aboard the research ship/icebreaker Xuelong ("Snow Dragon").

In the five-month expedition, the 167 meters long, 20,000-tonne freighter carries some 130 scientists and crewmembers, and scientific equipment on a 45,300 km voyage.

ROBOSPACE
Robot Finds Meteorites In Antarctica
Pittsburgh - February 4, 2000 - Carnegie Mellon University's Nomad robot, which conducted an autonomous search for meteorites in Antarctica from Jan. 20-30, has successfully completed its mission, examining more than 100 indigenous rocks, studying about 50 in detail and classifying seven specimens as meteorites.