Twenty years of erosion by a stream (above) and volcanic rocks (below)
We were visited by a scientist who was working nearby on the island. He was driving a three-wheel scooter vehicle, and was happy to talk to the visitors about his work and what he'd learned.
A visiting scientist
Then, we made our way up the hill at the middle of the bay to the ruins of the Chilean base. It was amazing what the volcano had done there. Most of the base was buried, but some was sticking out and was all torn up, broken, or burnt. The concrete supports were still standing, with metal rods sticking out and twisting up away from the concrete. There was a concrete doorway that had collapsed as a unit face-down on the ground. Metal beams were twisted out of shape, and all of the wood that filled in the structure was broken off about a foot or so from the supports, with what might have been burn marks along the edges.
Ruins of a Chilean base, destroyed by an eruption in the late 70s
From there, we walked down the center of the beach, avoiding the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) area, which was surrounding a pool of steaming water with lichens of algae growing on the nearby gravel. It's of special scientific interest because it will hopefully give some insight into the colonization process of fresh islands. In this case, this part of Deception Island is still considered "fresh" because of the recent volcanic eruptions, that totally renewed the upper layers of the island.
Cliffs near our landing site, with some people for scale