Allison Glacier () is an

ice stream An ice stream is a region of fast-moving ice within an ice sheet. It is a type of glacier, a body of ice that moves under its own weight. They can move upwards of a year, and can be up to in width, and hundreds of kilometers in length. They t ...

on the west side of

Heard Island The Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands (HIMI) is an Australian external territory comprising a volcanic group of mostly barren Antarctic islands, about two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to Antarctica. The group's overall land ...

in the southern

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

. Allison Glacier flows from

Big Ben Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster, and, by extension, for the clock tower itself, which stands at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, England. Originally named the Clock Tower, it ...

massif A massif () is a principal mountain mass, such as a compact portion of a mountain range, containing one or more summits (e.g. France's Massif Central). In mountaineering literature, ''massif'' is frequently used to denote the main mass of an ...

down to the sea to the south of Cape Gazert. To the north of Allison Glacier is Vahsel Glacier, whose

terminus Terminus may refer to: Ancient Rome *Terminus (god), a Roman deity who protected boundary markers Transport *Terminal train station or terminus, a railway station serving as an end destination *Bus terminus, a bus station serving as an end des ...

is at

South West Bay South West Bay () is an open bay indenting the west side of Heard Island immediately north of Cape Gazert in the southern Indian Ocean. The bay was roughly charted on an 1860 sketch map compiled by Captain H.C. Chester, an American sealer. The ...

, between

Erratic Point Erratic Point is a small, moss-covered point at the head of South West Bay, northeast of Cape Gazert, on the west side of Heard Island in the southern Indian Ocean. The First German Antarctica Expedition in 1902 charted a cape in this vicinity, ...

and Cape Gazert. Immediately to the north of Vahsel Glacier is Schmidt Glacier, whose terminus is located between

Mount Drygalski Mount Drygalski is an ice-free hill, high, standing southeast of Atlas Cove, near the northwest end of Heard Island in the southern Indian Ocean. The feature appears to have been roughly charted on an 1882 sketch map compiled by Ensign Washing ...

and

North West Cornice North West Cornice () is a narrow rock ridge descending in a northwest direction from Big Ben on Heard Island, and terminating at Schmidt Glacier in the northwest part of the island. Surveyed and given this descriptive name by ANARE (Australian Na ...

. To the south of Allison Glacier is

Abbotsmith Glacier Following is a list of glaciers of Heard Island and McDonald Islands in Antarctica. This list may not reflect recently named glaciers in Heard Island and McDonald Islands. Context Heard Island is a volcanic island in the Southern Ocean that is ...

, while Cape Gazert is immediately west.

Discovery and naming

Allison Glacier was named after Ian Allison, an Australian

glaciologist Glaciology (; ) is the scientific study of glaciers, or, more generally, ice and natural phenomena that involve ice. Glaciology is an interdisciplinary Earth science that integrates geophysics, geology, physical geography, geomorphology, clim ...

who carried out glaciological research in this area in 1971 for the

Australian Antarctic Division The Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) is a division of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment & Water. The division undertakes science programs and research projects to contribute to an understanding of Antarctica and the S ...

during the French-Australian Antarctic Expedition.

References

External links

*Clic
here
to see a map of Heard Island and McDonald Islands, including all major topographical features
Australian Antarctic DivisionAustralian Antarctic GazetteerComposite Gazetteer of AntarcticaAustralian Antarctic Names and Medals Committee (AANMC)Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR)
{{Glaciers of Heard Island and McDonald Islands Glaciers of Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Discovery and naming

See also

References

Further reading

External links