 The discovery of meteorites in a blue-ice area of the Yamato Mountains led to an uptick in scientific interest; a number of programs to collect meteorites began.This also led to increased research in the glaciological and dynamical properties of blue-ice areas, and later to their meteorological and climatological implications.The hard, flat and smooth surfaces of blue-ice areas have been used as aircraft runways (Blue ice runways) in parts of Antarctica.