1911 27th January
First Western Geological Journey
Debenham begins the first Western Party field journey after Terra Nova lands the geological team near Butter Point.
Antarctic exploration · permanent subject timeline
Western Party Geological Journeys
Field geology west of McMurdo Sound. This page combines historical context with 3 matching records drawn directly from the World History Database Terra Nova archive.
Historical context
Western Party Geological Journeys: overview and significance
What happened?
The Western Party, including geologists Griffith Taylor and Frank Debenham, was landed near Butter Point for fieldwork west of McMurdo Sound. The party collected geological observations and specimens across difficult terrain.
Why was it important?
The Western Party illustrates how the Terra Nova Expedition pursued systematic science alongside the better-known South Pole journey. Its field collections contributed to later understanding of Antarctic geology.
World History Database records
Western Party Geological Journeys timeline
The records below are selected from the 89-record Terra Nova archive and rendered as static HTML in chronological order.
1911
1911 27th January
Western Party Landed
Terra Nova lands Taylor's Western Party near Butter Point.
1913
1913 January
Western Party Specimen Recovery
Geological specimens cached during the Western Party journeys are recovered as Terra Nova completes the expedition's final Antarctic season.
Editorial provenance
Sources and editorial review
Compiled and edited by World History Database.
Historical context is editorial material; the chronology is generated from World History Database Terra Nova records.
Last reviewed: September 2026.
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