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The "great lead" stopped them for 6 days
until it froze over... |
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Approaching a lead—a long split in the ice. The Arctic ocean
is often exposed
as open water.
Leads open and close with the forces of currents, wind, tides and the
gravity of the moon. The vast sheets of ice are subject to pressures
from wind over hundreds of square miles that can compress the ice until
is crushes upward, or pulls apart. |
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Stopped by a big lead. They could not get across and had to wait for the water to freeze. Sometimes
leads freeze quickly but this was a big one and they had to wait 6 days
for it to freeze over. Even then it wasn't really solid--but rubbery
and very dangerous to cross. But Matt and Peary had to dash on to the
Pole! |
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