Wellington: Researchers in Antarctica have discovered a stash of equipment left behind by a U.S. expedition in the 1930s.
The depot of three crampons and a set of wooden survey poles were found by a New Zealand team in January about 300 miles (480 kilometers) from the South Pole.
They were engraved with the initials of members of an expedition led by U.S. Admiral Richard Byrd, who mapped large sections of Antarctica and helped lead America's involvement on the frozen continent.
Bryan Storey of the University of Canterbury said the researchers had hoped to be the first to set foot in the remote location where the items were found but that their discovery showed others had been there before.
The items were left in place except for one crampon, which will go to a museum.
PTI
First Published: Friday, April 01, 2011, 08:40