The bottom of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, one of the rare iceless places on the continent, is covered in polygonal patterns similar to those of a dried-up pond. Extreme temperature variations from summer to winter, when a six-month night envelops the continent and makes temperatures drop by 90°F (32°C), cause ice buried in the ground to freeze and thaw, creating this strange mineral tapestry. The reason for these patterns has not been completely uncovered but their location has been clearly determined: they appear where the ground is permanently frozen, both in Antarctica and the Arctic. But planet Earth does not hold a monopoly on this type of design. The pictures of Mars delivered by the Mars Global Surveyor and the rovers Spirit and Opportunity are striking: patterns utterly similar to those of the Dry Valleys can be seen in the polar regions of the red planet. These are on a giant scale, however—the polygons on Mars are a few miles wide, those on Earth only 30 to 100 ft (9 to 30 m).
THE PHOTO
Taken in 2004, It is a silver photography. His original slide is stored by the Yann Arthus-Bertrand Studio in Paris.
THE PRINT
Original work by Yann Arthus-Bertrand. The prints are made exclusively by the Yann Arthus-Bertrand Studio in Paris under the control of the artist himself.
Original Edition Signed and Numbered
Prints ordered without frames include a white border
- Format 1, 2 & 3 = 2 cm of white border around the image
- Format 4, 5 = 4 cm of white border around the image
- Format 6 = 5 cm of white border around the image
Digital print made by the Yann Arthus-Bertrand Studio. Canon IPF 9400 Ink-jet printer, pigmentary ink, printing on acid free 100% cotton fibre paper (Museo Silver Rag)
>> voir des tirages dans l’Atelier YAB
