The Bender Mountains () are a small group of mountains southwest of the Berry Peaks, between the southeast edge of the

Ross Ice Shelf The Ross Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf of Antarctica (, an area of roughly and about across: about the size of France). It is several hundred metres thick. The nearly vertical ice front to the open sea is more than long, and between high ...

and the

Watson Escarpment Watson Escarpment () is a major escarpment in the Queen Maud Mountains, trending northward along the east margin of Scott Glacier (Transantarctic Mountains), Scott Glacier, then eastward to Reedy Glacier where it turns southward along the glacier' ...

Exploration and naming

The Bender Mountains were mapped by the

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on Mar ...

(USGS) from ground surveys and from

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

air photos, 1960–63. They were named by the

Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names The Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (ACAN or US-ACAN) is an advisory committee of the United States Board on Geographic Names responsible for recommending commemorative names for features in Antarctica. History The committee was established ...

(US-ACAN) for Lieutenant Commander Leslie C. Bender, U.S. Navy, an aircraft commander at

McMurdo Station McMurdo Station is an American Antarctic research station on the southern tip of Ross Island. It is operated by the United States through the United States Antarctic Program (USAP), a branch of the National Science Foundation. The station is ...

, 1962–63 and 1963–64.}

Location

The Bender Mountains are in a generally flat area south of the

and west of the Reedy Glacier, which enters the ice shelf to the north of the mountains. They are south of the

and east of the Harold Byrd Mountains, which in turn are east of the

Leverett Glacier The Leverett Glacier () is about long and wide, flowing from the Antarctic Plateau to the south end of the Ross Ice Shelf through the Queen Maud Mountains. It is an important part of the South Pole Traverse from McMurdo Station to the Admundson ...

. Features of the mountains include Mount Fiedler and Mount Mahan. To the northeast are the Berry Peaks including Scallop Ridge and Gallaher Peak. McCaslin Nunatak is to the south.

Features and nearby features

Features in the region were mapped by the

(USGS) from ground surveys and USN air photos, 1960–63.

Mount Fiedler

. One of the Bender Mountains, high, standing between the edge of Ross Ice Shelf and the Watson Escarpment. Named by US-ACAN for Leonard G. Fiedler, electrician with the Byrd Station winter parties of 1960 and 1964.

Mount Mahan

. Mountain high, standing east of Mount Fiedler in the Bender Mountains. Named by US-ACAN for Shirley F. Mahan, radioman with the Byrd Station winter party, 1960.

Berry Peaks

. Small group of peaks south of the terminus of Reedy Glacier, between the southeast edge of the Ross Ice Shelf and Watson Escarpment. Named by US-ACAN for William Berry, radioman, Byrd Station winter party of 1961.

Scallop Ridge

. An undulating ridge, long, forming the southwest portion of the Berry Peaks. Mapped by USGS from ground surveys and United States Navy air photos 1960-63. Named by US-ACAN. The name is descriptive of the curving outline of the ridge.

Gallaher Peak

. One of the Berry Peaks, high, standing between the southeast edge of the Ross Ice Shelf and Watson Escarpment. Named by US-ACAN after James T. Gallaher, electrician with the Byrd Station winter party, 1958.

McCaslin Nunatak

. Isolated nunatak south of the west end of the Bender Mountains. Named by US-ACAN for James C. McCaslin, a member of the U.S. Army Aviation Unit which supported the USGS Topo East survey in 1962-63.

References

Sources

* * *{{Include-USGov , agency=United States Geological Survey Mountain ranges of Marie Byrd Land