Taylor Glacier
Encyclopedia
The Taylor Glacier is an Antarctic glacier
about 54 kilometres (33.6 mi) long, flowing from the plateau of Victoria Land
into the western end of Taylor Valley
, north of the Kukri Hills
, south of the Asgard Range
. The middle part of the glacier is bounded on the north by the Inland Forts
and on the south by Beacon Valley
.
The glacier was discovered by the British National Antarctic Expedition (1901–04) and at that time thought to be a part of Ferrar Glacier
. The Western Journey Party of the British Antarctic Expedition 1910
determined that the upper and lower portions of what was then known as Ferrar Glacier are apposed, i.e., joined in Siamese-twin fashion north of Knobhead. With this discovery Scott named the upper portion for Griffith Taylor
, geologist and leader of the Western Journey Party.
The Taylor Glacier has been the focus of a measurement and modeling effort carried out by researchers from the University of California at Berkeley
and the University of Texas at Austin
.
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...
about 54 kilometres (33.6 mi) long, flowing from the plateau of 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...
into the western end of Taylor Valley
Taylor Valley
Taylor Valley is the southern one of the three large Dry Valleys in the Transantarctic Mountains, Victoria Land, located west of McMurdo Sound at approximately . The valley extends from Taylor Glacier in the west to McMurdo Sound at Explorers Cove at the northwest head of New Harbour in the east...
, north of the Kukri Hills
Kukri Hills
Kukri Hills is a prominent east-west trending range, about long and over high, forming the divide between Ferrar Glacier on the south and Taylor Glacier and Taylor Valley on the north, in Victoria Land, Antarctica....
, south of the Asgard Range
Asgard Range
The Asgard Range is a mountain range in Victoria Land, Antarctica. It dividies Wright Valley from Taylor Glacier and Taylor Valley, and was named by the Victoria University of Wellington Antarctic Expedition after Asgard, the home of the Norse gods....
. The middle part of the glacier is bounded on the north by the Inland Forts
Inland Forts
Inland Forts is a line of peaks extending between Northwest Mountain and Saint Pauls Mountain, in the Asgard Range of Victoria Land. Discovered and so named by the Discovery expedition, 1901-04. The Taylor Glacier lies to the south of the Inland Forts....
and on the south by Beacon Valley
Beacon Valley
Beacon Valley is an ice-free valley between Pyramid Mountain and Beacon Heights, in Victoria Land. It was mapped by the British Antarctic Expedition, 1910–13, and named by the Victoria University of Wellington Antarctic Expedition after Beacon Heights....
.
The glacier was discovered by the British National Antarctic Expedition (1901–04) and at that time thought to be a part of Ferrar Glacier
Ferrar Glacier
The Ferrar Glacier is an Antarctic glacier about long, flowing from the plateau of Victoria Land west of the Royal Society Range to New Harbour in McMurdo Sound. The glacier makes a right turn northeast of Knobhead, where it is apposed, i.e., joined in Siamese-twin fashion, to Taylor Glacier...
. The Western Journey Party of the British Antarctic Expedition 1910
Terra Nova Expedition
The Terra Nova Expedition , officially the British Antarctic Expedition 1910, was led by Robert Falcon Scott with the objective of being the first to reach the geographical South Pole. Scott and four companions attained the pole on 17 January 1912, to find that a Norwegian team led by Roald...
determined that the upper and lower portions of what was then known as Ferrar Glacier are apposed, i.e., joined in Siamese-twin fashion north of Knobhead. With this discovery Scott named the upper portion for Griffith Taylor
Thomas Griffith Taylor
Thomas Griffith "Grif" Taylor was a British / Australian geographer, anthropologist and world explorer. He was a survivor of Captain Robert Scott's ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition to Antarctica .-Early life:...
, geologist and leader of the Western Journey Party.
The Taylor Glacier has been the focus of a measurement and modeling effort carried out by researchers from the University of California at Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
and the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
.
See also
- Blood FallsBlood FallsBlood Falls is an outflow of an iron oxide-tainted plume of saltwater, occurring at the tongue of the Taylor Glacier onto the ice-covered surface of West Lake Bonney in the Taylor Valley of the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Victoria Land, East Antarctica....
, an escaping flow of iron oxide-rich ancient ocean water trapped under the Taylor Glacier over a million years ago, containing a unique microbial community - List of glaciers
- List of glaciers in the Antarctic
External links
- Pictures from the Taylor Glacier
- A Long Term Ecological Research group is working in the Taylor Valley
- Satellite images of the region