The Larsemann Hills is an ice-free area of over 150 lakes that are not ice covered in summer. Despite being located at 69°30'S the area is not characterized to any extent by expected glacial indicators such as till, moraine or striations. Although the lakes show signs of evaporative lowering of water levels evolution to a saline state has not advanced to any great degree. While some evidence has been advanced to suggest only recent deglaciation (less than 10000yrBP) and large accumulations of ice (200–500m) it is now suggested that the area has not been glaciated during the Wisconsin to the extent previously claimed. The paper reports moss deposits aged 24950 yrBP that are significantly older than those previously reported for the area.

A series of micro-erosion-meter sites on different rock types and in differing wind regimes was established and re-read after four years on two sites in the Larsemann and Vestfold Hills. These two oases in Eastern Antarctica are subjected to both wind abrasion and salt wedging. The meamrements displayed bimodal distributions, indicating that both abrasion and single-grain detachment could be observed. Surface lowering rates of 0.015 and 0.022mma-' were demonstrated for the Larsemann and Vestfold Hills, respectively.