The Grossman Nunataks () are a group of about a dozen

nunatak A nunatak (from Inuit language, Inuit ) is the summit or ridge of a mountain that protrudes from an ice field or glacier that otherwise covers most of the mountain or ridge. They often form natural pyramidal peaks. Isolated nunataks are also cal ...

s in

Ellsworth Land Ellsworth Land is a portion of the Antarctica, Antarctic continent bounded on the west by Marie Byrd Land, on the north by the Bellingshausen Sea, on the northeast by the base of the Antarctic Peninsula, and on the east by the western margin of t ...

, Antarctica, rising in elevation and running northwest–southeast for between the

Lyon Nunataks The Lyon Nunataks () are a group of nunataks lying west of the Grossman Nunataks and northwest of the Behrendt Mountains, in Ellsworth Land, Antarctica. They include Grossenbacher Nunatak, Holtet Nunatak, Christoph Nunatak and Isakson Nunatak. ...

and the

Sky-Hi Nunataks The Sky-Hi Nunataks are a nunatak group long, located east of Grossman Nunataks and northeast of Merrick Mountains in Ellsworth Land, extending from Doppler Nunatak in the west to Arnoldy Nunatak in the east and including Mount Mende, Mount L ...

. The group includes features from the Smith Nunataks and the Whitmill Nunatak in the northwest to Gaylord Nunatak and Neff Nunatak in the southeast.

Location

The Grossman Nunataks are in southwestern

to the northwest of

Merrick Mountains The Merrick Mountains () are a cluster of mountains, long, standing northeast of the Behrendt Mountains in Ellsworth Land, Antarctica. Location The Merrick Mountains are in eastern Ellsworth Land, to the south of the English Coast of Geo ...

and the southeast of

. Features, from northwest to southeast, include Smith Nunataks, Whitmill Nunatak, House Nunatak, Fletcher Nunataks, Barker Nunatak, Zohn Nunataks, Cheeks Nunatak, Fiebelman Nunatak, Schmutzler Nunatak and Gaylord Nunatak.

Mapping and name

The Grossman Nunataks 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 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 ...

aerial photographs, 1961–68, and from United States

Landsat The Landsat program is the longest-running enterprise for acquisition of satellite imagery of Earth. It is a joint NASA / USGS program. On 23 July 1972, the Earth Resources Technology Satellite was launched. This was eventually renamed to Lan ...

imagery, 1973–74. They were 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) in 1994 after Charles Grossman, formerly Chief of the Shaded Relief and Special Graphics Unit, Branch of Special Maps, USGS, a specialist in the production of maps of Antarctica.

Features

Smith Nunataks

. Two nunataks close together, lying north-northeast of Whitmill Nunatak in the northwest part of Grossman Nunataks. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy aerial photographs, 1961-68, and Landsat imagery, 1973-74. Named in 1987 by US-ACAN after Thomas T. Smith, USGS cartographer, a member of the field party on

Byrd Glacier The Byrd Glacier () is a major glacier in Antarctica, about long and wide. It drains an extensive area of the Antarctic plateau, and flows eastward to discharge into the Ross Ice Shelf. Location The Byrd Glacier flows eastward between the B ...

and Darwin Glacier, 1978-79.

Whitmill Nunatak

. One of the Grossman Nunataks, lying in the west part of the group south-southwest of Smith Nunataks. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy aerial photographs, 1961-68. Named by US-ACAN in 1987 after Leland D. Whitmill, USGS cartographer, a member of the field party on Darwin Glacier and Byrd Glacier, 1978-79.

House Nunatak

. One of the Grossman Nunataks, located southeast of Whitmill Nunatak. Named by US-ACAN after John R. House, USGS cartographer, who worked in the field at South Pole Station and Byrd Station, 1972-73.

Fletcher Nunataks

. Two nunataks lying southwest of Barker Nunatak. Mapped by USGS from United States Navy aerial photographs taken 1965-68 and Landsat imagery taken 1973-74. Named by US-ACAN after James B. Fletcher, USGS cartographic technician who, with Kenneth Barker, formed the USGS satellite surveying team at South Pole Station, winter party 1977.

Barker Nunatak

. One of the Grossman Nunataks, located northeast of Fletcher Nunataks. Named by US-ACAN after Kenneth Barker, USGS cartographer who, with James B. Fletcher, formed the USGS satellite surveying team at South Pole Station, winter party 1977.

Zohn Nunataks

. Three nunataks, the largest being Cheeks Nunatak, rising to high in the southwest part of Grossman Nunataks. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy aerial photographs, 1961-68, and Landsat imagery, 1973-74. Named by US-ACAN after Harry L. Zohn, Jr., USGS topographic engineer, a member of the USGS-BAS geological party to the Orville Coast, 1977-78.

Cheeks Nunatak

. The largest and southernmost of three nunataks located , northwest of Merrick Mountains. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy air photos, 1961-67. Named by US-ACAN for Noble L. Cheeks, aviation electronics technician, member of the R4D party that flew to the vicinity of the eventual Eights Station in 1961 to set up a base camp.

Fiebelman Nunatak

. One of the Grossman Nunataks, lying east-northeast of Cheeks Nunatak. Mapped by, USGS from United States Navy aerial photographs taken 1965-68. Named in 1987 by US-ACAN after Harold E. Fiebelman, USGS cartographer, who worked in the field at Byrd Station and South Pole Station, 1972-73.

Schmutzler Nunatak

. A nunatak rising to about high, located northwest of Neff Nunatak and south-southwest of Gaylord Nunatak. Mapped by USGS from United States Navy aerial photographs taken 1965-68. Named in 1987 by US-ACAN after Robin A. Schmutzler, USGS cartographer, a member of the joint USGS-BAS geological party to Orville Coast, 1977-78.

Neff Nunatak

. A nunatak rising to about high, located southeast of Schmutzler Nunatak. Mapped by USGS from United States Navy aerial photographs taken 1965-68. Named by US-ACAN in 1988 after Richard J. Neff, USGS cartographer, a member of the winter party at Australia's Casey Station, 1975.

Gaylord Nunatak

. A nunatak rising to about high, north-northeast of Schmutzler Nunatak in the southeast end of the Grossman Nunataks. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy aerial photographs, 1961-68, and Landsat imagery, 1973-74. Named by US-ACAN in 1987 after Chauncey L. Gaylord, USGS cartographer, 1942-76, Chief of the Compilation Unit in the Branch of Special Maps, working for many years in the preparation of Antarctic maps.

References

Sources

* * * {{Include-USGov , agency=United States Geological Survey Nunataks of Ellsworth Land