Sunset from Port Charcot anchorage.

Scoria on Deception Island Beach:

There was a whole beach of this brightly-coloured scoria on Deception Island, which has shown volcanic activity in the last 20 yrs or so and which has patches of  hot springs where the hardy dig themselves "hot tubs" in the sand. It was a bit cold and windy for that sort of thing when we were there, but the wildlife was phenomenal. For example, look at the green moss and the "vegetation" of chinstraps in this next shot.
 

We found this "monster lichen" growing on sheltered rocky North-facing ledges. These same ledges were favourite roosts and nesting sites for skuas and were often littered with limpet shells.

This is Tara's great study of reflections and ice. You will have to go there to experience the range of colours, which rival Uluru at sunrise and sunset, but these colours are not unrepresentative of the truth.







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