Foundation Ice Stream () is a major
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 ...
in the
Pensacola Mountains
The Pensacola Mountains () are a large group of mountain ranges and peaks that extend in a northeast–southwest direction in the Transantarctic Mountains System, Queen Elizabeth Land region of Antarctica.
They comprise the Argentina Range, Forre ...
of Antarctica.
The ice stream drains northward for along the west side of the
Patuxent Range and the
Neptune Range to enter the
Ronne Ice Shelf westward of
Dufek Massif.
Exploration and name
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) mapped the stream from surveys and
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, 1956–66.
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) named the stream in recognition of the
National Science Foundation
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an Independent agencies of the United States government#Examples of independent agencies, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that su ...
, which provided major support to the
U.S. Antarctic Research Program during this period.
Course
File:Thomas Hills USGS.jpg, Head of the ice stream
File:C83060s1 Ant.Map Blackburn Nunatak.jpg, west of mid-section
File:C83052s5 Schmidt Hills.jpg, east of mid-section
File:C82052s5 Ant.Map Cordiner Peaks.jpg, Mouth of the ice stream
The Foundation Ice Stream originates to the west of the Patuxent Range.
It flows northwest past the
Rambo Nunataks to the north and
Thomas Hills to the south, where it is joined from the right (south) by the MacNamara Glacier.
Further down the Academy Glacier joins it from the right.
The ice stream continues north-northwest past the
Williams Hills of the
Neptune Range.
It is joined from the east by the Childs Glacier before passing
Schmidt Hills to its east.
The mouth of the ice stream meets the
Ronne Ice Shelf.
Tributaries
Patuxent Ice Stream
.
A broad ice stream between
Patuxent Range and
Pecora Escarpment in the Pensacola Mountains, draining northwestward to the upper part of Foundation Ice Stream.
Named by US-ACAN for its proximity to the Patuxent Range.
MacNamara Glacier
.
A glacier in the Patuxent Range, Pensacola Mountains, draining northeastward between the Thomas and Anderson Hills to Foundation Ice Stream.
Named by US-ACAN for Edlen E. MacNamara, USARP exchange scientist at Molodezhnaya Station winter 1967.
Academy Glacier
.
A major glacier in the Pensacola Mountains, draining northwestward between the Patuxent and Neptune Ranges to enter Foundation Ice Stream.
Named by US-ACAN for the National Academy of Sciences which has played an important role in the planning of the United States program for Antarctica.
Childs Glacier
.
A glacier in the Neptune Range, Pensacola Mountains, draining westward from
Roderick Valley to enter Foundation Ice Stream.
Named by US-ACAN for John H. Childs, builder at Ellsworth Station, winter 1958.
References
Sources
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{{Glaciers in the Antarctic
Ice streams of Queen Elizabeth Land
Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf