Patuxent Range
Encyclopedia
The Patuxent Range is a major range
of the Pensacola Mountains
, comprising the Thomas Hills, Anderson Hills, Mackin Table and various nunatak
s and ridges bounded by the Foundation Ice Stream, Academy Glacier
and the Patuxent Ice Stream
. Discovered and partially photographed on January 13, 1956 in the course of a transcontinental nonstop plane flight by personnel of U.S. Navy Operation Deep Freeze
I from McMurdo Sound
to Weddell Sea
and return.
Named by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names
(US-ACAN) for the Naval Air Station Patuxent River
(at Cedar Point, Maryland) located on the south side of the mouth of the Patuxent River
. The range was mapped in detail by USGS
from surveys and U.S. Navy
air photos, 1956-66.
, U.S. Navy Reserve (USNR), leader at Ellsworth Station
, 1957. Charles S. Thomas was Secretary of the Navy, 1954–57, during the first few years of the Deep Freeze operations.
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
of the Pensacola Mountains
Pensacola Mountains
The Pensacola Mountains are a large group of mountain ranges and peaks in Antarctica, extending 450 km in a NE-SW direction, comprising the Argentina Range, Forrestal Range, Dufek Massif, Cordiner Peaks, Neptune Range, Patuxent Range, Rambo Nunataks and Pecora Escarpment...
, comprising the Thomas Hills, Anderson Hills, Mackin Table and various nunatak
Nunatak
A nunatak is an exposed, often rocky element of a ridge, mountain, or peak not covered with ice or snow within an ice field or glacier. The term is typically used in areas where a permanent ice sheet is present...
s and ridges bounded by the Foundation Ice Stream, Academy Glacier
Academy Glacier
Academy Glacier is a major Antarctic glacier in the Pensacola Mountains, draining northwestward between the Patuxent and Neptune ranges to enter Foundation Ice Stream....
and the Patuxent Ice Stream
Patuxent Ice Stream
Patuxent Ice Stream is a broad Antarctic ice stream between the Patuxent Range and Pecora Escarpment in the Pensacola Mountains, draining northwestward to the upper part of Foundation Ice Stream. Mapped by U.S. Geological Survey from surveys and U.S. Navy air photos, 1956-66. Named by Advisory...
. Discovered and partially photographed on January 13, 1956 in the course of a transcontinental nonstop plane flight by personnel of U.S. Navy Operation Deep Freeze
Operation Deep Freeze
Operation Deep Freeze is the codename for a series of United States missions to Antarctica, beginning with "Operation Deep Freeze I" in 1955–56, followed by "Operation Deep Freeze II", "Operation Deep Freeze III", and so on...
I from 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...
to Weddell Sea
Weddell Sea
The Weddell Sea is part of the Southern Ocean and contains the Weddell Gyre. Its land boundaries are defined by the bay formed from the coasts of Coats Land and the Antarctic Peninsula. The easternmost point is Cape Norvegia at Princess Martha Coast, Queen Maud Land. To the east of Cape Norvegia is...
and return.
Named by 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) for the Naval Air Station Patuxent River
Naval Air Station Patuxent River
"Pax River" redirects here. For the river, see Patuxent River.Naval Air Station Patuxent River , also known as NAS Pax River, is a United States Naval Air Station located in St. Mary's County, Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay near the mouth of the Patuxent River. It is home to the U.S...
(at Cedar Point, Maryland) located on the south side of the mouth of the Patuxent River
Patuxent River
The Patuxent River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay in the state of Maryland. There are three main river drainages for central Maryland: the Potomac River to the west passing through Washington D.C., the Patapsco River to the northeast passing through Baltimore, and the Patuxent River between...
. The range was mapped in detail by USGS
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 surveys and U.S. Navy
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...
air photos, 1956-66.
Thomas Hills
The Thomas Hills is a linear group of hills, 27 km (17 mi) long, between Foundation Ice Stream and MacNamara Glacier at the northern end of the Patuxent Range. Named by US-ACAN at the suggestion of Captain Finn RonneFinn Ronne
Finn Ronne was a U.S. Antarctic explorer.-Background:Finn Ronne was born in Horten, in Vestfold county, Norway. His father, Martin Rønne , was a polar explorer and served in Roald Amundsen's successful expedition to the South Pole...
, U.S. Navy Reserve (USNR), leader at Ellsworth Station
Ellsworth Station
The Ellsworth Station was an Antarctic base established by the United States during the 1957 International Geophysical Year. The base was soon handed over to Argentina and subsequently abandoned and covered with ice in 1962.-History:...
, 1957. Charles S. Thomas was Secretary of the Navy, 1954–57, during the first few years of the Deep Freeze operations.
List of geographic features
- O'Connell Nunatak (84°43′S 65°8′W) is a peaked rock nunatakNunatakA nunatak is an exposed, often rocky element of a ridge, mountain, or peak not covered with ice or snow within an ice field or glacier. The term is typically used in areas where a permanent ice sheet is present...
, 1210 m (3,970 ft), standing 6 nautical miles (11 km) south-southeast of Mount MurchMount MurchMount Murch is a small mountain, 1,100 m, standing 5 nautical miles south of Mount Suydam in Anderson Hills in central Patuxent Range, Pensacola Mountains. Mapped by United States Geological Survey from surveys and U.S. Navy air photos, 1956-66. Named by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names ...
in the southern Anderson HillsAnderson HillsThe Anderson Hills are an irregular group of hills, ridges and peaks between Mackin Table and the Thomas Hills in the Patuxent Range, Pensacola Mountains, Antarctica. They were mapped by the United States Geological Survey from surveys and from U.S. Navy air photos, 1956–66...
. Named by US-ACAN for Richard V. O'Connell, seismologist at Amundsen-Scott South Pole StationAmundsen-Scott South Pole StationThe Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station is the American scientific research station on the high plateau of Antarctica. This station is located at the southernmost place on the Earth, the Geographic South Pole, at an elevation of 2,835 meters above sea level.The original Amundsen-Scott Station was...
, winter 1967.
- Shurley Ridge (84°54′S 65°23′W) is a partly snow-covered ridge projecting from the southwest side of Mackin TableMackin TableMackin Table is an ice-topped, wedge-shaped plateau, about 20 nautical miles long, standing just north of Patuxent Ice Stream in the Patuxent Range, Pensacola Mountains. Mapped by United States Geological Survey from surveys and U.S. Navy air photos, 1956-66. Named for J. Hoover Mackin,...
, 10 km (6 mi) southeast of Snake RidgeSnake RidgeSnake Ridge is a serpentine ridge, 4 nautical miles long, adjoining the northwest extremity of Mackin Table in the Patuxent Range, Pensacola Mountains. Mapped by United States Geological Survey from surveys and U.S. Navy air photos, 1956-66. The descriptive name was proposed by Dwight L....
. Named by US.ACAN for Jay T. Shurley, biologist at Amundsen-Scott South Pole StationAmundsen-Scott South Pole StationThe Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station is the American scientific research station on the high plateau of Antarctica. This station is located at the southernmost place on the Earth, the Geographic South Pole, at an elevation of 2,835 meters above sea level.The original Amundsen-Scott Station was...
, summer 1966-67.
- Mount Tolchin (85°06′S 65°12′W) 1730 m (5,676 ft), stands 8 km (5 mi) southwest of Houk SpurHouk SpurHouk Spur is a bare rock spur extending from the southwest side of Mackin Table, 1 nautical mile north of Mount Dumais, in southern Patuxent Range, Pensacola Mountains. Mapped by United States Geological Survey from surveys and U.S. Navy air photos, 1956-66. Named by Advisory Committee on...
at the southwest extremity of Mackin TableMackin TableMackin Table is an ice-topped, wedge-shaped plateau, about 20 nautical miles long, standing just north of Patuxent Ice Stream in the Patuxent Range, Pensacola Mountains. Mapped by United States Geological Survey from surveys and U.S. Navy air photos, 1956-66. Named for J. Hoover Mackin,...
in the southern end of the range. Named by US-ACAN for Lt. Sidney Tolchin (MC) U.S. Navy, officer in charge of the Amundsen-Scott South Pole StationAmundsen-Scott South Pole StationThe Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station is the American scientific research station on the high plateau of Antarctica. This station is located at the southernmost place on the Earth, the Geographic South Pole, at an elevation of 2,835 meters above sea level.The original Amundsen-Scott Station was...
in the winter of 1959.
- Mount Warnke (84°20′S 64°55′W) 915 m (3,002 ft), stands 5 km (3 mi) NE of Martin PeakMartin PeakMartin Peak is a peak, 1,045 m, standing 2 nautical miles northeast of Nance Ridge in the Thomas Hills in northern Patuxent Range, Pensacola Mountains. Mapped by United States Geological Survey from surveys and U.S. Navy air photos, 1956-66. Named by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names for...
in the Thomas HillsThomas HillsThomas Hills was an English cricketer who played for Kent. Hills was born in Stansted and died in West Malling.Hills made one first-class appearance for Kent, against Nottinghamshire in 1840...
. Named by US-ACAN for Detlef A. Warnke, biologist at Palmer StationPalmer StationPalmer Station, on Anvers Island, is Antarctica's only US station north of the Antarctic Circle. Initial construction of the station finished in 1968. The station, like the other US Antarctic stations, is operated by the United States Antarctic Program....
, 1966-67.
- Mount Yarbrough (84°24′S 66°0′W) is a ridge-like mountainMountainImage:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
, 865 m (2,838 ft), standing 3.2 km (2 mi) southwest of Nance RidgeNance RidgeNance Ridge is a rock ridge 2 nautical miles northeast of Mount Yarbrough in the Thomas Hills in northern Patuxent Range, Pensacola Mountains. Mapped by United States Geological Survey from surveys and U.S. Navy air photos, 1956-66. Named by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names for Vernon L....
in the Thomas HillsThomas HillsThomas Hills was an English cricketer who played for Kent. Hills was born in Stansted and died in West Malling.Hills made one first-class appearance for Kent, against Nottinghamshire in 1840...
in the northern side of the range. Named by US-ACAN for Leonard S. Yarbrough, industrial engineer at Plateau Station, 1965-66.