1999 USGS South Pole Marker Pin or Zipperpull

It all comes together at Antarctica 90° South.  Longitude, that is.  From there, there is no place to go except north.  From there, one of only two places on earth, one can traverse in three directions and end up where one started.  The Antarctic, and the Pole in particular, has long been the goal of explorers, scientists, adventurers, and those who are attracted to remote areas of our earth.  Scientific studies at the pole include: astrophysics, glaciology, and seismology.  And yet this marker features the words "GOD WHAT AN AWFUL PLACE" beneath the Amundsen-Scott research station.  Because the pole is covered by 9000 feet of moving glacial ice, surface marks travel approximately 10 meters annually.  Unlike the ceremonial pole, each January 1st the position of 90° South is re-determined and a unique survey monument is erected.  These pewter gifts are fashioned after the 1999 mark.

* Both pin and zipperpull are 1 1/8" cast in fine pewter.
* Pin has military clutch back.
* Zipperpull has clasp to hang from hany loop.