Robb Glacier () is a

glacier A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

about 40 nautical miles (70 km) long that flows through the

Ross Dependency The Ross Dependency is a region of Antarctica defined by a circular sector, sector originating at the South Pole, passing along longitudes 160th meridian east, 160° east to 150th meridian west, 150° west, and terminating at latitude 60th para ...

to enter the west coast 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 ...

in Antarctica.

Location

The Robb Glacier flows from Clarkson Peak north along the east side of Softbed Ridges to the Ross Ice Shelf at Cape Goldie. It flows between the Queen Elizabeth Range to the west and the

Holland Range The Holland Range () is a rugged coastal mountain range in the Ross Dependency, Antarctica, on the west coast of the Ross Ice Shelf. It is about long. Location The Holland Range lies just west of the Ross Ice Shelf and extends from Robb Glacie ...

to the east. To the north of Softbed Ridges it converges with

Lowery Glacier Lowery Glacier () is a glacier about long, a tributary of the Nimrod Glacier, which enters the west of the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica. Location The Lowery Glacier flows north from Prince Andrew Plateau, Antarctica, along the east side of the ...

, which is to the west, but the two glaciers separate when they reach

Taylor Hills The Taylor Hills, elevation , is a set of hills southeast of Ekalaka, Montana, in Carter County, Montana. See also * List of mountain ranges in Montana This is a list of mountain ranges in the state of Montana. Montana is the fourth largest ...

. Its mouth is southeast of the

and the

Nimrod Glacier The Nimrod Glacier () is a major glacier about long, flowing from the polar plateau in a northerly direction through the Transantarctic Mountains into the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica. Location The Nimrod Glacier flows north between the Geologis ...

. It is north of the

Lennox-King Glacier Lennox-King Glacier is a large valley glacier, about long that flows east into the Ross Ice Shelf. Location Lennox-King Glacier drains Bowden Névé and flows northeast between the Holland Range and the Queen Alexandra Range of Antarctica t ...

and the

Beardmore Glacier The Beardmore Glacier in Antarctica is one of the largest valley glaciers in the world, being long and having a width of . It descends about from the Antarctic Plateau to the Ross Ice Shelf and is bordered by the Commonwealth Range of the Queen ...

. Named by the expedition after Murray Robb, leader of the

New Zealand Geological Survey Antarctic Expedition The New Zealand Geological Survey Antarctic Expedition (NZGSAE) describes a series of scientific explorations of the continent Antarctica. The expeditions were notably active throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Features named by the expeditions 19 ...

(NZGSAE) (1959–60), who traversed this glacier to reach

Mouth

Cape Goldie

A cape at the south side of the mouth of Robb Glacier, overlooking the Ross Ice Shelf. Discovered by the BrNAE (1901–04) and named for Sir George Goldie, a member of the committee which made the final draft of the instructions for the expedition.

Cape Huinga

. A bold cape overlooking the Ross Ice Shelf, at the north side of the mouth of Robb Glacier. The Southern Party of the NZGSAE (1959–60) assembled near the cape in November 1959, thus suggesting the name. Huinga is the Maori word for a gathering.

Right tributaries

Tributaries entering the right (east) side of the glacier are:

Bondeson Glacier

Glacier about long, flowing north along the east side of

Benson Ridge The Holland Range () is a rugged coastal mountain range in the Ross Dependency, Antarctica, on the west coast of the Ross Ice Shelf. It is about long. Location The Holland Range lies just west of the Ross Ice Shelf and extends from Robb Glacie ...

into the lower portion of Robb Glacier. Mapped by the USGS from tellurometer surveys (1961–62) and Navy air photos (1960). Named by US-ACAN for W. Bondeson, Master of the USNS Pvt. John R. Towle during USN OpDFrz 1964 and 1965.

Cleaves Glacier

A glacier in the

, flowing northwest from

Mount Reid The Holland Range () is a rugged coastal mountain range in the Ross Dependency, Antarctica, on the west coast of the Ross Ice Shelf. It is about long. Location The Holland Range lies just west of the Ross Ice Shelf and extends from Robb Glacie ...

into the east side of Robb Glacier. Mapped by USGS from tellurometer surveys (1961–62) and Navy air photos (1960). Named by US-ACAN for Harold H. Cleaves, Master of the USNS Pvt. Joseph F. Merrell during

OpDFrz Operation Deep Freeze is the code name for a series of United States missions to Antarctica, beginning with "Operation Deep Freeze I" in 1955–56, followed by "Operation Deep Freeze II", "Operation Deep Freeze III", and so on. (There was an init ...

1964–65.

References

Sources

* * * * {{Glaciers of the Ross Dependency Glaciers of the Ross Dependency Shackleton Coast