Wood Bay () is a large bay which is bounded by Cape Johnson and Aviator Glacier Tongue on the north, and Cape Washington on the south, along the coast of

Victoria Land Victoria Land is a region in eastern Antarctica which fronts the western side of the Ross Sea and the Ross Ice Shelf, extending southward from about 70°30'S to 78th parallel south, 78°00'S, and westward from the Ross Sea to the edge of the Ant ...

, Antarctica. It was discovered in 1841 by Captain

James Clark Ross Sir James Clark Ross (15 April 1800 – 3 April 1862) was a British Royal Navy officer and explorer of both the northern and southern polar regions. In the Arctic, he participated in two expeditions led by his uncle, Sir John Ross, John ...

, Royal Navy, and named by him for Lieutenant James F.L. Wood of the ship HMS ''Erebus''.

Geography

Wood Bay is on the west coast of the

Ross Sea The Ross Sea is a deep bay of the Southern Ocean in Antarctica, between Victoria Land and Marie Byrd Land and within the Ross Embayment, and is the southernmost sea on Earth. It derives its name from the British explorer James Clark Ross who ...

. It is delimited to the north by Hayes Head on Cape Johnson. The Aviator Glacier Tongue extends into the sea between Wood Bay and Lady Newnes Bay to the north. The

Tinker Glacier Tongue The Tinker Glacier () is a long glacier in Antarctica, draining the central part of the Southern Cross Mountains and flowing southeast into Wood Bay, on the coast of Victoria Land. Named by the Northern Party of the New Zealand Geological Survey ...

extends into the bay to the east of Cape Johnson and Kay Island, and to the west of Harrow Peaks in the

Random Hills The Random Hills () are a group of rugged hills in Victoria Land, Antarctica. They are bounded on the west by Campbell Glacier and on the east by Tinker Glacier and Wood Bay. They are centered about ) north-northwest of Mount Melbourne. Explo ...

. Further south is Edmonson Point, where there is an

Adélie penguin The Adélie penguin (''Pygoscelis adeliae'') is a species of penguin common along the entire coast of the Antarctic continent, which is the only place where it is found. It is the most widespread penguin species, and, along with the emperor peng ...

rookery, Willows Nunatak and Cape Washington, which delimited the south end of the bay.

Mount Melbourne Mount Melbourne is a ice-covered stratovolcano in Victoria Land, Antarctica, between Wood Bay and Terra Nova Bay. It is an elongated mountain with a summit caldera filled with ice with numerous parasitic vents; a volcanic field surrounds th ...

dominates the southern part of the bay.

Features

Named features of the bay, from north to south, include:

Hayes Head

. A prominent headland, high, overlooking the north extremity of Wood Bay, standing north of Kay Island. 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 surveys and United States Navy air photos, 1955-63. Named by the United States

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 Miles O. Hayes, geologist at McMurdo Station, 1965-66 season.

Cape Johnson

. An ice-covered cape in northern Wood Bay at the east side of the terminus of Tinker Glacier. Discovered in 1841 by Captain

, Royal Navy who named it for Captain Edward John Johnson, RN.

Kay Island

. A small island lying east of Cape Johnson in the north part of Wood Bay. Discovered in 1841 by Captain James Clark Ross, and named by him for Lieutenant Joseph W. Kay, Dir. of the Rossbank Observatory in Tasmania, who was third lieutenant on the ship Terror. Originally charted by Ross as a group of three islands, only this one is now known to exist.

Edmonson Point

. A rounded, largely ice-free point lying below

along the west side of Wood Bay. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy air photos, 1955-63. Named by US-ACAN for Larry D. Edmonson, satellite geodesy scientist 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 ...

, winter party 1966.

Willows Nunatak

. A nunatak standing inland from the south shore of Wood Bay, rising above the col between Cape Washington and Mount Melbourne. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy air photos, 1955-63. Named by US-ACAN for A.O. Dennis Willows, biologist at McMurdo Station, summer 1965-66. SeaSurveys Edgell 1965 0020 01 John Washington

SeaSurveys Edgell 1965 0020 01 John Washington

Cape Washington

. A prominent cape, high, marking the south extremity of the peninsula which separates Wood Bay and Terra Nova Bay. Discovered in 1841 by Captain James Clark Ross, and named by him for Captain

John Washington John Washington (1633 – 1677) was an English-born merchant, planter, politician and military officer. Born in Tring, Hertfordshire, he subsequently immigrated to the English colony of Virginia and became a member of the planter class. In add ...

, Royal Navy, who was secretary of the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

, 1836-40.

References

Sources

* * * {{Include-USGov , agency=United States Geological Survey Bays of Victoria Land Borchgrevink Coast