Geologist Josef Sekyra, first Czech to reach South Pole, dies at 80

The renowned Czech geologist Josef Sekyra – the first Czech to reach the South Pole – has died at the age of 80. In December 1969, Sekyra was part of the American operation Deep Freeze which studied conditions in Antarctica, but that was just one of his many different accomplishments: from extensive travels to hundreds of published scientific papers.

Geologist Josef Sekyra was nothing if not a legend in his field: an active mountain climber and speleologist who braved some of the harshest conditions on Earth to forward his research. In 1961, Mr Sekyra broke the record for highest Czech ascent, climbing more than 7,000 metres in the Pamir mountain range. He also set a record for scientific research at a height of 7,700 metres. His field of expertise? Geomorphology (that is, the study of the origins and characteristics of landforms, in his case as impacted by glaciers). His work also took him below ground and as far afield as places like the central Sahara. On Tuesday I spoke to Zdeněk Teplý, of the Czech Mountaineering Association, who was a close friend. He recalled the geologist’s approach and his overall dedication to his work:

“I first got to know him in the 1950s at a time when he was working as a geologist in Prague. He led many different expeditions and of course visited Antarctica, first with the Soviets and later with the Americans. There he took part in expeditions in the Transantarctic Mountains - and completed an amazing 54 climbs on different peaks. But he was always extremely humble about his contributions and he always stressed the work of his colleagues in the fields of geomorphology and geology. As a mountain climber, he was never afraid of the burden and consequently was very much liked by fellow mountaineers.”

Josef Sekyra’s work in mapping the Sahara in Algeria and later Libya was equally intriguing. His expertise proved useful in another study: cooperation on analysing the surface of Mars. Zdeněk Teplý again:

“He cooperated with NASA on studying satellite photographs of Mars, analysing the colour spectrum and other data to estimate different types of geological formations.”

The Czech Environment Ministry, with whom Mr Sekyra often co-operated, issued a response on Monday listing Mr Sekyra’s many contributions. Among friends, family, and those in the scientific community, Josef Sekyra will be sorely missed.