The Helliwell Hills () are a group of rocky hills and low mountains about long and wide in the

Usarp Mountains The Usarp Mountains are a major mountain range in North Victoria Land, Antarctica. They are west of the Rennick Glacier and trend north to south for about . The mountains are bounded to the north by Pryor Glacier and the Wilson Hills. They are we ...

of North

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.

Location

The Helliwell Hills are part of the

of North

, Antarctica. They are south of Gressitt Glacier and midway between

Emlen Peaks The Emlen Peaks () is a group of scattered peaks and nunataks, long and wide. It is south of Daniels Range in the south end of the Usarp Mountains in northern Victoria Land, Antarctica. Early exploration and name Emlen Peaks was mapped by the ...

to the west and the

Morozumi Range The Morozumi Range () is a mountain range in the Usarp Mountains of North Victoria Land, Antarctica. It extends northwest–southeast for , with its northern elevations overlooking the convergence of Gressitt Glacier and Rennick Glacier. Early ...

to the east. They are south of the

Daniels Range The Daniels Range () is a principal mountain range of the Usarp Mountains, about 80 km (50 mi) long and 16 km (10 mi) wide, bounded to the north by Harlin Glacier and to the south by Gressitt Glacier. Exploration and name ...

, on the other side of Gressitt Glacier, and north of the Outback Nunataks.

Early exploration and name

The Helliwell Hills were mapped by

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 ...

air photos in 1960-63. They were 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 Robert A. Helliwell of

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

, Program Director for the

USARP 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 ...

study of very low frequency (VLF) radio noise phenomena.

Geology

The cover rocks in the Helliwell Hills are

Permian The Permian ( ) is a geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system which spans 47 million years, from the end of the Carboniferous Period million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Triassic Period 251.902 Mya. It is the s ...

Beacon sediments and

Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately 143.1 Mya. ...

Ferrar sills. The basement has low- to high-grade metamorphic rocks as well as pegmatite and granites. There is a fairly continuous transition from low to high grades in the metarnorphic rocks. This is evidence for intense local heat during metamorphism. The degree of metamorphism, deformation and pegmatite formation increases greatly from east to west in the hills. The phyllites at the lowest level in the east of Boggs Valley are similar to the rocks of the

, with simple deformation. Further west the deformation is more polyphase, and at least three phases of folding can be recognized in the west.

Glacier

Gressitt Glacier

. A broad glacier, about 45 mi long, draining the area between

and Emlen Peaks in the Usarp Mountains and flowing northeast to enter the

Rennick Glacier Rennick Glacier () is a broad glacier, nearly long, which is one of the largest in Antarctica. It rises on the polar plateau westward of Mesa Range and is wide, narrowing to near the coast. It takes its name from Rennick Bay where the glacier r ...

just north of the

. Mapped by USGS from surveys and U.S. Navy air photos, 1960–63. Named by US-ACAN for biologist J. Linsley Gressitt, Program Director who made biological studies, particularly in the Ross Sea area, in six austral summers, 1959-60 to 1965-66.

Features

Named features from north to south:

Dziura Nunatak

. An ice-free nunatak, high, located northwest of Mount Remington in the northwest extremity of the Helliwell Hills. Mapped by USGS from surveys and U.S. Navy air photos, 1960–63. Named by US-ACAN for Charles S. Dziura, USARP meteorologist at South Pole Station, 1967-68.

Mount Remington

. A mountain, high, northwest of Mount Bresnahan in the north part of Helliwell Hills. Mapped by USGS from surveys and U.S. Navy air photos, 1960–63. Named by US-ACAN for Benjamin F. Remington, Jr., meteorologist who wintered over at Little America V, 1957, and at South Pole Station, 1959.

Mount Bresnahan

A flat-topped, mainly ice-free mountain, high, situated along the east side of the Helliwell Hills, north-north-east of Mount Van der Hoeven. Mapped by USGS from surveys and U.S. Navy air photos, 1960–63. Named by US-ACAN after David M. Bresnahan, USARP biologist at McMurdo Station, 1967–68 and 1968–69; on staff of Office of Polar Programs, National Science Foundation, from 1970.

Komatsu Nunatak

. A very prominent nunatak rising to near its center. Located west of the summit of Mount Van der Hoeven in the west part of the Helliwell Hills. Mapped by USGS from surveys and U.S. Navy air photos, 1960–63. Named by US-ACAN for Stanley K. Komatsu, USARP biologist at McMurdo Station, 1966–67 and 1967-68.

Mount Van der Hoeven

. A mountain, high, at the north side of the head of Boggs Valley, near the center of Helliwell Hills. Mapped by USGS from surveys and U.S. Navy air photos, 1960-63. Named by US-ACAN for Frans G. Van der Hoeven, seismologist and leader of the USARPsponsored Victoria Land Traverse, 1959-60. The 1,530 mile seismic and topographic traverse in Tucker Sno-Cat vehicles took a roughly triangular course, beginning at Hut Point Peninsula, Ross Island, and ascending to the plateau of Victoria Land via Skelton Glacier. From there a northwest course was followed on interior plateau to 71°09'S, 139°12'E. The party returned eastward, keeping south of the 72°S parallel to 72°37'S, 161°32'E (east side of Outback Nunataks), from where the party was evacuated by aircraft of U.S. Navy Squadron VX-6.

Boggs Valley

. A valley, heavily strewn with morainal debris, which indents the east side of Helliwell Hills between Mount Van der Hoeven and Mount Alford. Mapped by USGS from surveys and U.S. Navy air photos, 1960–63. Named by US-ACAN for William J. Boggs, USARP biologist at McMurdo Station, 1967-68.

Mount Alford

A flat-topped, ice-free mountain, , at the south side of Boggs Valley in the Helliwell Hills. Mapped by USGS from surveys and U.S. Navy air photos, 1960–63. Named by US-ACAN for Montague Alford, USARP geologist at McMurdo Station, 1967-68.

Luhrsen Nunatak

. A nunatak south-south-east of Mount Alford at the southeast end of the Helliwell Hills. Mapped by USGS from surveys and U.S. Navy air photos, 1960–63. Named by US-ACAN for Richard H. Luhrsen, assistant to the USARP representative at McMurdo Station, 1967-68.

References

Sources

* * {{refend Mountain ranges of Victoria Land