The Reeves Glacier () is a broad

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 ...

originating on the interior upland and descending between

Eisenhower Range The Eisenhower Range () is a majestic mountain range, about long and rising to , which rises between Reeves Névé on the west, Reeves Glacier on the south, and Priestley Glacier on the north and east, in Victoria Land, Antarctica. The range ...

and Mount Larsen to merge with the Nansen Ice Sheet 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.

Discovery and naming

The Reeves Glacier was discovered and named by the

British Antarctic Expedition, 1907–09 The ''Nimrod'' Expedition of 1907–1909, otherwise known as the British Antarctic Expedition, was the first of three expeditions to the Antarctic led by Ernest Shackleton and his second time to the Continent. Its main target, among a range of ...

, under

Ernest Shackleton Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton (15 February 1874 – 5 January 1922) was an Anglo-Irish Antarctic explorer who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic. He was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarcti ...

. The

New Zealand Antarctic Place-Names Committee New Zealand Antarctic Place-Names Committee (NZ-APC) is an adjudicating committee established to authorize the naming of features in the Ross Dependency on the Antarctic continent. It is composed of the members of the New Zealand Geographic Board pl ...

(NZ-APC) reported that the glacier is probably named for William Pember Reeves, former New Zealand Cabinet Minister, and the Agent-General for New Zealand in London, 1896–1909.

Location

The Reeves Glacier originates in the Reeves Névé on the polar plateau. This 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 ...

is surrounded by scattered isolated features, including the Shepard Cliff, The Boil, Calfee Nunatak and Mount Fenton. Ice flows from the north past Mount Mackintosh and the Skinner Ridge to join the head of the Reeves Glacier below the Reeves Névé. The glacier flows east-southeast through the

Prince Albert Mountains The Prince Albert Mountains () are a major mountain group in Antarctica over long. Located in Victoria Land, they run north–south between the Priestley Glacier to the north and Ferrar Glacier to the south. They are south of the Deep Freeze ...

to the Nansen Ice Sheet. To its south it passes Mount Larsen and Mount Janetschek, and flows past both sides of the Hansen Nunatak and Teall Nunatak. To its north it flows past the Thern Promontory and Mount Matz, past which it is joined by the Anderton Glacier, then past Andersson Ridge, where the Carnein Glacier joins it in the Nansen Ice Sheet.

Upper features

Reeves Névé

. An extensive névé lying westward of the

. Reeves Glacier, which drains southeastward to the coast, has its source in this névé. Named by the NZ-APC in association with Reeves Glacier.

Shepard Cliff

. An isolated cliff, long, at the northeast margin of the Reeves Névé. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy aerial photographs, 1956-62. Named by US-ACAN for Danny L. Shepard, United States Navy, construction electrician at

South Pole Station South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

in 1966.

The Boil

. A prominent snow eminence marked by rock exposures on the northeast side of the Reeves Névé. It rises over high and stands east of Shepard Cliff. The descriptive name was apparently applied by the Southern Party 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) during a visit to the feature in December 1962.

Calfee Nunatak

. An isolated nunatak at the east side of Reeves Névé, west of Mount Fenton. 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 aerial photographs, 1956-62. 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 David W. Calfee, field assistant at McMurdo Station, 1965-66.

Mount Fenton

. A peak, high, rising from the northern part of Skinner Ridge, northeast of Mount Mackintosh. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy air photos, 1956-62. Named by US-ACAN for Michael D. Fenton, geologist at McMurdo Station, 1965-66.

Mount Mackintosh

. A peak, high, that rises from Skinner Ridge, southwest of Mount Fenton, on the western margin of the Eisenhower Range. Charted by the

under Ernest Shackleton, who named it for

Aeneas Mackintosh Aeneas Lionel Acton Mackintosh (1 July 1879 – 8 May 1916) was a British Merchant Navy officer and Antarctic explorer who commanded the Ross Sea party as part of Sir Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 1914–1917. Th ...

, Second Officer on the expedition ship, the ''Nimrod''.

Skinner Ridge

. A ridge, long, that descends southwest ward from the western side of Eisenhower Range. Mount Fenton and Mount Mackintosh are astride the northern part of this ridge. The feature was visited by the Southern Party of the NZGSAE (1962-63), who named it for D.N.B. Skinner, geologist with the expedition.

Lower features

Mount Larsen

. A mountain, high, presenting sheer granite cliffs on the north side standing southwest of Hansen Nunatak at the south side of the mouth of Reeves Glacier. Discovered by the

British National Antarctic Expedition The ''Discovery'' Expedition of 1901–1904, known officially as the British National Antarctic Expedition, was the first official British exploration of the Antarctic regions since the voyage of James Clark Ross sixty years earlier (1839–1 ...

(BrNAE) (1901-04) under Scott, who named it for Captain

Carl Anton Larsen Carl Anton Larsen (7 August 1860 – 8 December 1924) was a Norwegian-born whaler and Antarctic explorer who made important contributions to the exploration of Antarctica, the most significant being the first discovery of fossils for which h ...

, noted Norwegian Antarctic explorer whose explorations along the east coast of Antarctic Peninsula in the Jason, 1892-93, marked the beginning of commercial whaling operations in the Antarctic. Larsen led numerous whaling expeditions until his death in December 1925 while directing operations in the Ross Sea.

Mount Janetschek

. A mountain, high, standing between Mount Larsen and Widowmaker Pass at the south side of the mouth of Reeves Glacier. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy air photos, 1955-63. Named by US-ACAN for Heinz Janetschek, biologist at McMurdo Station, 1961-62 season.

Hansen Nunatak

. A prominent beehive-shaped nunatak, high, near the terminus of Reeves Glacier, rising above the middle of the glacier about northeast of Mount Larsen and northwest of Teall Nunatak. Discovered by the BrNAE, 1901-04, the area was more fully explored by the British Antarctic Expedition, 1907-09, which named this feature.

Teall Nunatak

. A large nunatak at the mouth of Reeves Glacier, standing southeast of Hansen Nunatak. Discovered by the BrNAE, 1901-04. The area was more fully explored by the British Antarctic Expedition, 1907-09, which named this feature for Sir Jethro Justinian Harris Teall, Director of the Geological Survey and Museum of Practical Geology, London, 1901-13.

Thern Promontory

. A high, ice-covered promontory, high, forming a westward projection at the south end of Eisenhower Range, about west of Mount Nansen, in Victoria Land. Named by US-ACAN for Michael G. Thern, station engineer at McMurdo Station with the 1965-66 summer party and the 1967 winter party.

Mount Matz

. A mountain, high, at the west side of the terminus of Anderton Glacier, forming the end of a ridge descending south from Elsenhower Range to Reeves Glacier. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy air photos, 1955-63. Named by US-ACAN for David B. Matz, geologist at McMurdo Station, 1965-66 season.

Anderton Glacier

. A tributary glacier, long, descending the south slopes of Eisenhower Range to enter Reeves Glacier between Mount Matz and Andersson Ridge. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy air photos, 1955-63. Named by US-ACAN for Peter W. Anderton, glaciologist at McMurdo Station, summer 1965-66.

Andersson Ridge

. A ridge, long, in southern Elsenhower Range, forming the north wall of Reeves Glacier between the mouths of Anderton Glacier and Carnein Glacier. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy air photos, 1955-63. Named by US-ACAN for Lars E. Andersson, cosmic radiation scientist, South Pole Station winter party of 1966.

References

Sources

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