Atka Glacier
Encyclopedia
Atka Glacier is the glacier
immediately east of Flagship Mountain
, draining north into Fry Glacier
in Victoria Land
. It was discovered and named in 1957 by the New Zealand Northern Survey Party of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition
, 1956–58, and named after the USS Atka
, an American icebreaker
in the convoy to McMurdo Sound
in the 1956–57 season.
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
immediately east of Flagship Mountain
Flagship Mountain
Flagship Mountain is a prominent, conical rock peak, 1,720 m, surmounting the south part of the large rock mass between Northwind and Atka Glaciers in the Convoy Range, Victoria Land...
, draining north into Fry Glacier
Fry Glacier
Fry Glacier is a glacier draining the slopes at the northeast corner of the Convoy Range and flowing along the south end of the Kirkwood Range into Tripp Bay, Victoria Land. First charted by the British Antarctic Expedition and named for A.M. Fry, a contributor to the expedition....
in Victoria Land
Victoria Land
Victoria Land is a region of Antarctica bounded on the east by the Ross Ice Shelf and the Ross Sea and on the west by Oates Land and Wilkes Land. It was discovered by Captain James Clark Ross in January 1841 and named after the UK's Queen Victoria...
. It was discovered and named in 1957 by the New Zealand Northern Survey Party of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition
Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition
The 1955–58 Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition was a Commonwealth-sponsored expedition that successfully completed the first overland crossing of Antarctica, via the South Pole...
, 1956–58, and named after the USS Atka
USCGC Southwind (WAGB-280)
USCGC Southwind was a Wind-class icebreaker that served in the United States Coast Guard as USCGC Southwind , the Soviet Navy as the Admiral Makarov, the United States Navy as USS Atka and again in the U.S...
, an American icebreaker
Icebreaker
An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller vessels .For a ship to be considered an icebreaker, it requires three traits most...
in the convoy to McMurdo Sound
McMurdo Sound
The ice-clogged waters of Antarctica's McMurdo Sound extend about 55 km long and wide. The sound opens into the Ross Sea to the north. The Royal Society Range rises from sea level to 13,205 feet on the western shoreline. The nearby McMurdo Ice Shelf scribes McMurdo Sound's southern boundary...
in the 1956–57 season.