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Kunlun Station 昆仑站
Antarctic base
Kunlun StationLocation of Kunlun Station in Antarctica
Coordinates: 80°25′02″S 77°06′58″E / 80.417139°S 77.116111°E / -80.417139; 77.116111
Country	China
Location in Antarctica	East Antarctica
Administered by	Polar Research Institute of China
Established	27 January 2009 (2009-01-27)
Elevation	4,087 m (13,409 ft)
Population
• Summer	26
• Winter	0
Type	Seasonal
Period	Summer
Status	Operational
Activities	List Core drilling Astronomy Geomagnetism Seismology
Website	Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration

Kunlun Station (simplified Chinese: 昆仑站; traditional Chinese: 崑崙站; pinyin: Kūnlún Zhàn) is the southernmost of five Chinese research stations in Antarctica. When it is occupied during the summer, it is the second-southernmost research base in Antarctica, behind only the American Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station at the geographical South Pole. When Kunlun is not in operation, the year-round Russian Vostok Station is the second-southernmost base in Antarctica.

It is located at 4087 m above sea level on the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, making it the highest base in Antarctica. It is only 7.3 km southwest of Dome A, the highest point on the Antarctic Plateau. The station was officially opened on January 27, 2009. Fully constructed the station is planned to cover an area of 558 m. The main building, covering 236 m, is planned erected in April 2009.

The site is one of the coldest in the world, with temperatures occasionally reaching −80 °C (−112 °F) in the winter. It is indicated from satellite measurements that places nearby could reach a world record −90 °C (−130 °F) temperature.

In April 2012 the first of three Antarctica Schmidt telescopes (AST3) was installed at Kunlun Station. The other two were planned for installation in 2013 and 2014. A bigger optical telescope, Kunlun Dark Universe Survey Telescope (KDUST), is planned to be installed by 2025.

Telescopes at Kunlun Station

See also

• List of Antarctic research stations
• List of Antarctic field camps
• Antarctic Great Wall Station
• Antarctic Zhongshan Station
• Antarctic Taishan Station
• Arctic Yellow River Station
• Polar Research Institute of China
• Xuě Lóng

References

1. ^ Antarctic Station Catalogue (PDF) (catalogue). Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs. August 2017. p. 61. ISBN 978-0-473-40409-3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
2. "China to build two more Antarctic bases". Phys.org. March 29, 2013.
3. "China sets up 3rd Antarctic research station". 2009-01-28. Archived from the original on 31 January 2009. Retrieved 28 January 2009.
4. "Installment of telescope array completed at Dome A -- china.org.cn". china.org.cn. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
5. "China installs large Antarctic survey telescope". peopledaily.com.cn. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
6. ^ University of New South Wales, Australia, The PLATO-A Team http://mcba11.phys.unsw.edu.au/~plato-a/

External links

• Official website Polar Research Institute of China
• Official website Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration
• International Polar Foundation report
• PLATO - Dome A Robotic Observatory
• Photos of inauguration
• PLATO - Dome A webcam

• Earth sciences
• Geography
• China

v t e Antarctica
Geography	Antarctic sea ice Climate Climate change Heat waves Ice shelves Geology Glaciers Mountains Tundra Volcanoes Regions Biogeographic realm Antarctic Peninsula East Antarctica ice sheet shield Extreme points Floristic Kingdom Islands South Pole South magnetic pole West Antarctica ice sheet Bodies of Water Antarctic/Southern Ocean Lake CECs Lake Mercer Lake Vostok List of rivers McMurdo Sound Ross Sea Weddell Sea Life Flora Microorganisms Wildlife Birds Mammals Krill
History	Expeditions Heroic Age World War II Colonization COVID-19 pandemic Years
Politics	Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs Military activity National programs Territorial claims Treaty System
Society	Antarctica Day Antarctic English Crime Demographics Economy Field camps Firefighting Flags Gateway cities Midwinter Day Protected areas Religion Research stations Telecommunications Time Tourism Transport Women
Famous explorers	Roald Amundsen Richard E. Byrd Douglas Mawson Ui-te-Rangiora (legendary) James Clark Ross Robert Falcon Scott Ernest Shackleton
Category Commons Index

• Outposts of Antarctica
• China and the Antarctic
• Polar Research Institute of China
• Buildings and structures completed in 2009
• 2009 establishments in Antarctica