The Ickes Mountains (, ) () are a series of coastal mountains that extend west from

Strauss Glacier Strauss Glacier () is a glacier, long, flowing between the Ickes Mountains and Coulter Heights to enter the sea at the east side of Land Bay, Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica. Mapping and name The Strauss Glacier was mapped by the United States Geol ...

for in

Marie Byrd Land Marie Byrd Land (MBL) is an unclaimed region of Antarctica. With an area of , it is the largest unclaimed territory on Earth. It was named after the wife of American naval officer Richard E. Byrd, who explored the region in the early 20th centu ...

, Antarctica.

Discovery and name

The Ickes Mountains were discovered from aircraft of the

United States Antarctic Service 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 ...

on 18 December 1940. The name Ickes Mountains, after

United States Secretary of the Interior The United States secretary of the interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. The secretary and the Department of the Interior are responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land along with natur ...

Harold L. Ickes Harold LeClair Ickes ( ; March 15, 1874 – February 3, 1952) was an American administrator, politician and lawyer. He served as United States Secretary of the Interior for nearly 13 years from 1933 to 1946, the longest tenure of anyone to hold th ...

, appeared in the maps and reports resulting from this expedition although Ickes objected and never acquiesced to the use. Nonetheless, the name became established in usage and in 1966 was approved 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). The United States Antarctic Service was established in the

Division of Territories and Island Possessions The Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) is a unit of the United States Department of the Interior that oversees federal administration of several United States insular areas. It is the successor to the Bureau of Insular Affairs of the War Departm ...

of the

United States Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the management and conservation ...

in 1939, during the period (1933–46) that Ickes was secretary.

Location

The Ickes Mountains are south of the mouth of

Land Bay Land Bay () is an ice-filled bay, about wide, indenting the coast of Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica, just eastward of Groves Island. It was discovered by the United States Antarctic Service (USAS; 1939–41), and takes its name from Land Glacier wh ...

on the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

. They are east of the mouth of

Land Glacier The Land Glacier () is a broad, heavily crevassed glacier, about long, descending into Land Bay in Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica. It was discovered by the United States Antarctic Service (1939–41) and named for Rear Admiral Emory S. Land, Chairm ...

. Features include, from west to east, Shoemake Nunatak, Billey Bluff, Mount Langway, Mount LeMasurier, Mount Vance and Mount McCrory. Nearby features to the south include Partridge Nunatak, Bailey Nunatak and Wilkins Nunatak.

Features

Shoemake Nunatak

. A nunatak immediately west of Billey Bluff at the southwest end of the Ickes Mountains. The nunatak was photographed from aircraft of the US AS, 1939-41, and was 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 photography, 1959-65. Named by US-ACAN for John L. Shoemake, aerographer, United States Navy, weather observer at Brockton Station on the Ross Ice Shelf during two summer seasons, 1968-69 and 1969-70.

Billey Bluff

. A rocky coastal bluff southwest of Mount Langway in the west part of Ickes Mountains. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy air photos, 1959-65. Named by US-ACAN for John P. Billey, ionospheric physicist, Scientific Leader at Byrd Station, 1971.

Mount Langway

. A coastal mountain high located southwest of Mount LeMasurier . The mountain was first photographed from aircraft of the USAS, 1939-41. Named by US-ACAN for Chester C. Langway, USARP glaciologist at Byrd Station, 1968-69.

Mount LeMasurier

. An ice-free coastal mountain which rises to more than high between Mount Vance and Mount Langway, in the central part of the Ickes Mountains. The feature was discovered and photographed from aircraft of the USAS, 1939-41. Named by US-ACAN for Wesley E. LeMasurier, geologist with Marie Byrd Land Survey II, 1967-68.

Mount Vance

. A mountain high rising between Mount LeMasurier and Mount McCrory. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy air photos, 1959-65. Named by US-ACAN for Dale L. Vance, ionospheric scientist at Byrd Station, 1963, and United States Exchange Scientist to the Vostok station, 1971.

Mount McCrory

. A mountain east-southeast of Mount Vance in the east part of the Ickes Mountains. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy air photos, 1959-65. Named by US-ACAN for Captain Eugene E. McCrory, USCG, Commanding Officer of USCGC ''Glacier'', during

Operation Deep Freeze 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 ...

1969 and 1970.

Nearby features

Partridge Nunatak

. The westernmost of three aligned nunataks lying southward of the Ickes Mountains. The nunatak, high, is located along the north side of White Glacier, about west of Bailey Nunatak. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy air photos, 1959-65. Named by US-ACAN for Billy W. Partridge, EOC, United States Navy, Chief Equipment Operator at Byrd Station, 1966.

Bailey Nunatak

. A nunatak, high, located along the north flank of White Glacier, midway between Partridge Nunatak and Wilkins Nunatak. Mapped from United States Navy air photos and USGS surveys, 1959-65. Named by US-ACAN for Andrew M. Bailey, meteorologist at Byrd Station, 1963.

Wilkins Nunatak

. The northeasternmost of three nunataks. It lies southwest of Ickes Mountains. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy air photos, 1959-65. Named by US-ACAN for Melvin L. Wilkins, QMS, United States Navy, Quartermaster aboard USS ''Glacier'' in exploration of this coast, 1961-62.

References

Sources

* * * *{{Include-USGov , agency=United States Geological Survey Mountain ranges of Marie Byrd Land