Rathbone Hills is a line of low hills or 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, 14 nautical miles (26 km) long and trending east-west, located 4 nautical miles (7 km) north of Guthridge Nunataks

Guthridge Nunataks

Guthridge Nunataks is a scattered group of sharp peaked nunataks and small mountains, about 22 nautical miles long and 6 nautical miles wide, midway between Rathbone Hills and Blanchard Nunataks in the Gutenko Mountains of central Palmer Land. Mapped by United States Geological Survey in 1974...

 in the Gutenko Mountains

Gutenko Mountains

Gutenko Mountains is a large, scattered group of hills, nunataks and small mountains at the south end of Dyer Plateau in central Palmer Land. The feature includes Elliott Hills, Rathbone Hills, Guthridge Nunataks and Blanchard Nunataks...

 of central Palmer Land

Palmer Land

Palmer Land is that portion of the Antarctic Peninsula which lies south of a line joining Cape Jeremy and Cape Agassiz. This application of Palmer Land is consistent with the 1964 agreement between US-ACAN and UK-APC, in which the name Antarctic Peninsula was approved for the major peninsula of...

. 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,...

 (USGS) in 1974. 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 Maj. David L. Rathbone, United States Marine Corps

United States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

 (USMC), Commander of LC-130 aircraft in U.S. Navy Squadron VXE-6

VXE-6

VXE-6, Antarctic Development Squadron 6 , commonly referred to by its nickname, The Puckered Penguins was a United States Navy Air Test and Evaluation Squadron based at McMurdo Station, Antarctica...

 during 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...

, 1970 and 1971.