McMurdo Station

McMurdo Station is a research facility on Ross Island with 85 timber and metal buildings spread across rocky volcanic ground. Dormitories, laboratories, workshops, and a community center form the core of this year-round settlement near the Ross Ice Shelf.

The station opened in 1956 as part of Operation Deep Freeze and grew from a basic tent camp into a permanent research base. Over the following decades it expanded into the largest facility in Antarctica and now serves as a hub for expeditions heading to the South Pole.

The research community maintains a yearly New Year tradition of ice swimming and indoor concerts that shape social life during isolation. Public film screenings and a library housing thousands of books offer residents a way to pass time during the long, dark winter months.

The site includes three ice runways and a floating dock made of frozen freshwater that support supply flights and cargo deliveries. Visitors need clearance and will find protective clothing, medical care, and emergency facilities available on-site to handle the extreme polar environment.

Two working ATMs operated by a New Zealand bank dispense real cash in Antarctica. Wind turbines supplement diesel generators for power and reduce fuel consumption as steady storms sweep across Ross Island.

Location: Antarctic Treaty area

Inception: 1956

Elevation above the sea: 10 m

Operator: United States Antarctic Program;USA

Website: https://nsf.gov/geo/opp/support/mcmurdo.jsp

GPS coordinates: -77.84833,166.66833

Latest update: December 3, 2025 08:30