Craddock Massif
Encyclopedia
Massif
In geology, a massif is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole...
in the Sentinel Range
Sentinel Range
The Sentinel Range is a major mountain range situated northward of Minnesota Glacier and forming the northern half of the Ellsworth Mountains in Antarctica. The range trends NNW-SSE for about and is 24 to 48 km wide...
of the Ellsworth Mountains
Ellsworth Mountains
The Ellsworth Mountains are the highest mountain ranges in Antarctica, forming a long and wide chain of mountains in a north to south configuration on the western margin of the Ronne Ice Shelf. They are bisected by Minnesota Glacier to form the northern Sentinel Range and the southern Heritage...
, in the Chilean claim of West Antarctica
West Antarctica
West Antarctica, or Lesser Antarctica, one of the two major regions of Antarctica, is the part of the continent that lies within the Western Hemisphere including the Antarctic Peninsula.-Location and description:...
.
Location and highest point
Craddock Massif is located at the southeastern side of Vinson MassifVinson Massif
Vinson Massif is the highest mountain of Antarctica, lying in the Sentinel Range of the Ellsworth Mountains, which stand above the Ronne Ice Shelf near the base of the Antarctic Peninsula. The massif is located about from the South Pole and is about long and wide. At the highest point is Mount...
, between Hammer Col
Hammer Col
Hammer Col is a broad ice-covered col at 3800 m elevation between the south part of Vinson Massif and the Craddock Massif in the Sentinel Range, Ellsworth Mountains...
and Karnare Col
Karnare Col
Karnare Col is the narrow rocky col of elevation 2100 m linking the southeast slopes of Mount Craddock to the northeast ridge of Mount Strybing in southern Sentinel Range, Ellsworth Mountains in Antarctica. It is extending 1.7 km in east-west direction, with a depression in its eastern part...
linking it to Vinson Massif and the southern Sentinel Range respectively. The highest point of Craddock Massif is Mount Rutford
Mount Rutford
Mount Rutford is a sharp peak that rises to and marks the highest point on Craddock Massif in the Sentinel Range, Ellsworth Mountains. The peak stands just north of Bugueño Pinnacle and 2.1 mi north of Mount Craddock, with which this naming is associated...
, a sharp peak that rises to 4477 metres (14,688.3 ft). The Craddock Massif also includes (from north to south) Bugueño Pinnacle, Rada Peak and Mount Craddock
Mount Craddock
Mount Craddock is a large, bold mountain forming the south extremity of Craddock Massif in Sentinel Range, the highest mountain in Antarctica. It is linked by Karnare Col to Mount Strybing in the southern Sentinel Range...
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Discovery and naming
Sentinel Range was first sighted and photographed from the air on November 23, 1935, by Lincoln EllsworthLincoln Ellsworth
Lincoln Ellsworth was an arctic explorer from the United States.-Birth:He was born on May 12, 1880 to James Ellsworth and Eva Frances Butler in Chicago, Illinois...
. The entire range, including Craddock Massif, was mapped by the United States Geological Survey
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
from aerial photography taken by the U.S. Navy, 1958–61.
This massif was originally named "Mount Craddock" by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names
Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names
The Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names is an advisory committee of the United States Board on Geographic Names responsible for recommending names for features in Antarctica...
(US-ACAN) in 1965, but subsequent maps limited the name to the massif’s southernmost peak
Summit (topography)
In topography, a summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. Mathematically, a summit is a local maximum in elevation...
, a modification that was adopted by US-ACAN in 2006 when it approved the name Craddock Massif. The massif is named after Professor J. Campbell Craddock (1930–2006), the leader of the 1962–63 University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
geological expedition to the Sentinel and Heritage Range
Heritage Range
The Heritage Range is a major mountain range, long and wide, situated southward of Minnesota Glacier and forming the southern half of the Ellsworth Mountains in Antarctica...
s of the Ellsworth Mountains.