Nimitz Glacier
Encyclopedia
Vinson 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...
and flowing southeast between 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...
and Bastien Range
Bastien Range
The Bastien Range is an Antarctic mountain range of moderate height which extends in a NW-SE direction for about , flanking the SW side of Nimitz Glacier and the Sentinel Range, in the Ellsworth Mountains....
to enter Minnesota Glacier
Minnesota Glacier
Minnesota Glacier is a broad glacier in Antarctica. It is about 64 km long and 8 km wide, and flows east through the Ellsworth Mountains, separating the Sentinel and Heritage ranges. It is nourished by ice from the plateau west of the mountains and by the Nimitz and Splettstoesser...
, in the central 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...
.
Discovered by USN
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
Squadron VX-6
VX-6
Air Development Squadron Six was a United States Navy Air Development Squadron based at McMurdo Station, Antarctica...
on photographic flights of December 14-December 15, 1959, and mapped by 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 these photos. Named by US-ACAN
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...
for Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz
Chester Nimitz
Fleet Admiral Chester William Nimitz, GCB, USN was a five-star admiral in the United States Navy. He held the dual command of Commander in Chief, United States Pacific Fleet , for U.S. naval forces and Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas , for U.S...
, USN, who as Chief of Naval Operations at the time of Operation Highjump
Operation Highjump
Operation Highjump , officially titled The United States Navy Antarctic Developments Program, 1946-1947, was a United States Navy operation organized by RADM Richard E. Byrd Jr. USN, , Officer in Charge, Task Force 68, and led by RADM Richard H. Cruzen, USN, Commanding Officer, Task Force 68....
, 1947-1948, made possible that unprecedentedly large and complex Antarctic expedition.