The Darwin Glacier () is a large glacier in

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

. It flows from the polar plateau eastward between the

Darwin Mountains The Darwin Mountains () are a group of mountains between the Darwin Glacier and Hatherton Glacier in Antarctica. They were discovered by the British National Antarctic Expedition (1901–04) and named for Major Leonard Darwin, at that time Honora ...

and the

Cook Mountains The Cook Mountains () is a group of mountains bounded by the Mulock and Darwin glaciers in Antarctica. They are south of the Worcester Range and north of the Darwin Mountains and the Britannia Range. Early exploration and naming Parts of t ...

to 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 ...

. The Darwin and its major tributary the Hatherton are often treated as one system, the Darwin–Hatherton.

Early exploration and naming

The lower part of the glacier was mapped by the British National Antarctic Expedition, 1901–04 (BrNAE), and the whole area traversed by New Zealand parties of the

Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition The Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition (CTAE) of 1955–1958 was a Commonwealth-sponsored expedition that successfully completed the first overland crossing of Antarctica, via the South Pole. It was the first expedition to reach the South ...

(1956–58). The glacier was named in association with the Darwin Mountains.

Glaciology

The Darwin Glacier flows relatively slowly compared to other glaciers in the Transantarctic Mountains, at less than per year. There are small scale fluctuations due to daily tidal cycles downstream from its grounding line. During the

Last Glacial Maximum The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), also referred to as the Last Glacial Coldest Period, was the most recent time during the Last Glacial Period where ice sheets were at their greatest extent between 26,000 and 20,000 years ago. Ice sheets covered m ...

(LGM) the

Antarctic ice sheet The Antarctic ice sheet is a continental glacier covering 98% of the Antarctic continent, with an area of and an average thickness of over . It is the largest of Earth's two current ice sheets, containing of ice, which is equivalent to 61% of ...

expanded, forming grounded ice in the Ross Sea. This would cause the ice streams flowing into the Ross Sea to be buttressed and thickened, and there is some evidence to support this. However, there is contradictory evidence from the upper Hatherton Glacier that suggests the ice extent there was lower in the LGM than it is today. Darwin and Hatherton glaciers both thinned steadily by about during the last deglaciation between 9,000 and 3,000 years ago. It seems that they lost about half their catchment area to the

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/or

Mulock Glacier } The Mulock Glacier () is a large, heavily crevassed glacier which flows into the Ross Ice Shelf south of the Skelton Glacier in the Ross Dependency, Antarctica. Name The Mulock Glacier was named by the New Zealand Antarctic Place-Names Commit ...

, and also that convergent ice flowing from the Byrd and Mulock glaciers strongly buttresses the Darwin and Hatherton glaciers.

Course

The Darwin Glacier originates in the Darwin Névé, on the west rim of the polar plateau. It flows east past the

Meteorite Hills The Meteorite Hills () are a group of hills, long, forming the western portion of the Darwin Mountains in Antarctica. The hills are located between the heads of Darwin Glacier and Hatherton Glacier. Name The name was proposed by John O. Annexs ...

of the

to the south. It turns to flow southeast past the Darwin Mountains to the southwest and the Brown Hills of the

to the north. McCleary Glacier drains southward into Darwin Glacier east of Walker Cirque and just west of

Tentacle Ridge Tentacle Ridge () is a long partially ice-free ridge lying south of Mount Longhurst, extending from the mouth of McCleary Glacier southeast along the north side of Darwin Glacier. The descriptive name was given by the Darwin Glacier Party of the ...

. It is joined from the north by the Touchdown Glacier between Roadend Nunatak and the Brown Hills. The Diamond Glacier is a reentrant from the Darwin Glacier north into the Brown Hills. The Hatherton Glacier forms south of the head of the Darwin Glacier, below Turnstile Ridge, and flows southeast. The Lieske Glacier and Hinton Glacier enter the Hatherton Glacier from the south on either side of

Dusky Ridge Mount McClintock () is the highest mountain () in the Britannia Range in Antarctica, surmounting the south end of Forbes Ridge, east of Mount Olympus. Discovery and name Mount McClintock was discovered by the British National Antarctic Expedit ...

. The Ragotzkie Glacier enters the Hatherton Glacier to the southwest of Junction Spur. The Hatherton Glacier, which has turned to flow northeast, joins the Darwin Glacier east of Junction Spur. The Darwin Glacier flows east through The Nozzle between

Diamond Hill Diamond Hill is a hill in the east of Kowloon, Hong Kong. The name also refers to the area on or adjacent to the hill. It is surrounded by Ngau Chi Wan, San Po Kong, Wong Tai Sin and Tsz Wan Shan. Its northeast is limited by the ridge. It is ...

to the north and the Gawn Ice Piedmont to the south to enter the Ross Ice Shelf north of MacDonald Point.

Head

Darwin Névé

. A large

névé Névé is a young, granular type of snow which has been partially melted, refrozen and compacted, yet precedes the form of ice. This type of snow can contribute to glacier formation through the process of ''nivation''. Névé that survives a ...

on the west side of the Cook and Darwin Mountains which feeds the Darwin and Hatherton Glaciers. Named for its association with Darwin Glacier by the N.Z. Darwin Glacier Party of the CTAE, 1956-58.

Circle Icefall

. An almost impenetrable icefall near

, high and long, extending in an arc for almost the whole width across the Darwin Glacier. Named by the Darwin Glacier Party of the

(CTAE) (1956–58) for its similarity to the circle of an opera house.

Tributaries

Green Glacier

. Glacier on the west side of

Haskell Ridge The Darwin Mountains () are a group of mountains between the Darwin Glacier and Hatherton Glacier in Antarctica. They were discovered by the British National Antarctic Expedition (1901–04) and named for Major Leonard Darwin, at that time Honora ...

, flowing north from the Darwin Mountains into Darwin Glacier. Mapped by the Darwin Glacier Party of the CTAE, 1956–58, who named it because of the green color of its surface.

McCleary Glacier

. A broad glacier about long, draining southward into Darwin Glacier just west of Tentacle Ridge. 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 tellurometer surveys and Navy air photos, 1959-63. 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 George McCleary, public information officer on the staff of the U.S. Antarctic Projects Officer (1959–61), whose labors helped to start the Bulletin of the USAPO.

Touchdown Glacier

. A tributary of Darwin Glacier, flowing south between Roadend Nunatak and the Brown Hills. Mapped by the VUWAE (1962–63) and so named because the glacier was used as a landing site for aircraft supporting the expedition.

Diamond Glacier

A small distributary glacier of the Darwin Glacier, flowing east-northeast into the narrow valley on the north side of Diamond Hill. Mapped by the VUWAE (1962–63) and named after Diamond Hill.

Hatherton Glacier

. A large glacier flowing from the polar plateau generally eastward along the south side of the

and entering Darwin Glacier at Junction Spur. Mapped by the Darwin Glacier Party of the CTAE (1956–58). Named for Trevor Hatherton, Scientific Officer in Charge of Antarctic Activities, Dept. of Scientific and Industrial Research, Wellington, New Zealand.

Overturn Glacier

. A short tributary glacier of the Hatherton Glacier west of Junction Spur in the Darwin Mountains. The glacier is steep without crevasses. Named by the members of a New Zealand Antarctic Research Program (NZARP) field group who had a dramatic overturn with their toboggan while driving down the glacier.

McCraw Glacier

. Glacier in the Britannia Range, draining the northwest slopes of Mount Olympus and flowing north, westward of Johnstone Ridge, to enter Hatherton Glacier. Named by a

University of Waikato The University of Waikato (), established in 1964, is a Public university, public research university located in Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton, New Zealand. An additional campus is located in Tauranga. The university performs research in nume ...

geological party, 1978–79, led by M.J. Selby. Named for John D. McCraw, Dean of Science, University of Waikato, Hamilton, N.Z., a member on a 1959-60 field party to the McMurdo Dry Valleys.

Lieske Glacier

. A tributary glacier draining the north slopes of Mount Olympus in Britannia Range and flowing north between Johnstone and Dusky Ridges into Hatherton Glacier. Named by the US-ACAN for Bruce J. Lieske, meteorologist who wintered at Little America V in 1957.

Hinton Glacier

. A tributary glacier in the Britannia Range, flowing north between

Forbes Ridge Mount McClintock () is the highest mountain () in the Britannia Range in Antarctica, surmounting the south end of Forbes Ridge, east of Mount Olympus. Discovery and name Mount McClintock was discovered by the British National Antarctic Expedit ...

and

into Hatherton Glacier. Named by US-ACAN for Chief Construction Mechanic Clarence C. Hinton, Jr., USN. Hinton wintered at McMurdo Station, 1963, and headed a team charged with the maintenance of mechanical equipment at the outlying U.S. stations.

Ragotzkie Glacier

. A glacier in the Britannia Range, about long, flowing northward along the west side of

Mount Aldrich Mount Aldrich () is a massive, somewhat flat-topped mountain standing at the east side of Ragotzkie Glacier in the Britannia Range, Antarctica. Discovery and name Mount Aldrich was discovered by the British National Antarctic Expedition (BrNAE ...

and coalescing with other north-flowing glaciers which enter the Hatherton Glacier to the southwest of Junction Spur. Named by US-ACAN for Robert A. Ragotzkie, project director for

United States Antarctic Program The United States Antarctic Program (or USAP; formerly known as the United States Antarctic Research Program or USARP and the United States Antarctic Service or USAS) is an organization of the United States government which has a presence in the ...

(USARP) studies of lakes in the ice-free valleys. He made personal studies in Victoria Land in the 1962-63 season.

Ragotzkie Icefall

An icefall wide in the east-central part of Ragotzkie Glacier. The icefall is a significant distributary of Ragotzkie ice to Alley Glacier, which occupies the valley to the east. Named by US-ACAN in association with Ragotzkie Glacier.

Alley Glacier

A glacier that drains the north slopes of Britannia Range in the vicinity of

Ward Tower Mount Aldrich () is a massive, somewhat flat-topped mountain standing at the east side of Ragotzkie Glacier in the Britannia Range, Antarctica. Discovery and name Mount Aldrich was discovered by the British National Antarctic Expedition (BrNAE ...

and flows north to Darwin Glacier. Named by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN) after Richard B. Alley, Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, U.S. Antarctic Project (USAP) glaciologist who has specialized in the study of ice streams of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.

Other features

Walker Cirque

Description: A prominent glacier-filled cirque at the west side of the terminus of McCleary Glacier in Cook Mountains. The cirque opens to Darwin Glacier near the head. Named after Carlton Walker, Facilities, Maintenance, and Construction Supervisor at South Pole Station during U.S. Antarctic Project (USAP) South Pole Station Modernization.

Roadend Nunatak

. A conspicuous nunatak west-northwest of Bastion Hill along the north side of Darwin Glacier. So named by the

Victoria University of Wellington Antarctic Expedition The Antarctic Research Centre (ARC) is part of the School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences at Victoria University of Wellington. Its mission is to research " Antarctic climate history and processes, and their influence on the global cl ...

(VUWAE) (1962–63) because of its use as a landmark for manhauling sledge journeys and aircraft flights which supported the expedition and landed there.

Island Arena

. A broad valley occupied by a lateral lobe of the Darwin Glacier, indenting the north side of the Darwin Mountains between

Colosseum Ridge The Darwin Mountains () are a group of mountains between the Darwin Glacier and Hatherton Glacier in Antarctica. They were discovered by the British National Antarctic Expedition (1901–04) and named for Major Leonard Darwin, at that time Honora ...

and

Kenneth Ridge Kenneth Ridge () is the northernmost of three rock outcrops in the northern part of the Manning Nunataks, Antarctica. The nunataks were photographed by U.S. Navy Operation Highjump (1946–47) and Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions ...

. An islandlike nunatak, Richardson Hill, rises above the ice of the valley. The descriptive name was given by the VUWAE (1962–63).

Turnstile Ridge

. A ridge about long, lying north of Westhaven Nunatak at the northwest extremity of Britannia Range. So named by the Darwin Glacier Party (1957) of the CTAE because snow passages resembling turnstiles occur throughout its length.

Junction Spur

. A rocky spur marking the eastern extremity of the Darwin Mountains and the junction of the Hatherton and Darwin Glaciers. Mapped and named by the Darwin Glacier Party of the CTAE (1956–58).

The Nozzle

. A comparatively narrow constriction through which the lower Darwin Glacier flows, causing the ice to bank up somewhat in the vicinity of

. The descriptive name was given by the Darwin Glacier Party of the CTAE (1956–58).

Cranfield Icefalls

. A series of about eight spectacular icefalls, in an east-west line, falling steeply from

Bucknell Ridge Mount Aldrich () is a massive, somewhat flat-topped mountain standing at the east side of Ragotzkie Glacier in the Britannia Range, Antarctica. Discovery and name Mount Aldrich was discovered by the British National Antarctic Expedition (BrNAE ...

into the narrowest portion of Darwin Glacier near its mouth. Named by the Darwin Glacier Party of the CTAE (1956–58) for W.J. Cranfield, a member of the party.

Gawn Ice Piedmont

. An ice piedmont and snow slope occupying the coastal platform between Darwin Glacier and

. Named by the Darwin Glacier Party of the CTAE (1956–58) for J.E. Gawn, radio operator at Scott Base who worked closely with the field parties.

MacDonald Point

. A coastal point with some rocky exposures at the south side of the mouth of Darwin Glacier, where the latter flows into Ross Ice Shelf. Mapped by the USGS from tellurometer surveys and Navy air photos, 1959-63. Named by US-ACAN for James H. (Scot) MacDonald, journalist who as a member of U.S. Navy Squadron VX-6 worked several seasons at McMurdo Station between 1958 and 1961.

References

Sources

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