McMurdo Station and Ross Island

With a summer pop of 1100 McMurdo Station is the largest base in Antarctica and the main transit point for half the continent. The station is located on a peninsular extension of Ross island, a volcanic island that lies on the Ice Shelf-Seasonal Sea Ice Transition and is distinguished by the southernmost bare ground accessible by sea. Mt Erebus, part of the Pacific Ring of Fire and the southernmost active volcano in the world, is one of the two main volcanoes on Ross Island. During summer months Erebus coats the town and everything in it with a continuous outpouring of abrasive volcanic ash. Ross island contains 3 airfields, a summer ice pier, and the heads of land routes to neaby NZ the South Pole. The station is populated by scientists and a large support staff.