Smith Inlet () is an ice-filled inlet receding in a westerly direction between

Cape Boggs Lehrke Inlet () is an ice-filled inlet, wide, which recedes southwest for between Cape Boggs and Cape Sharbonneau, along the east coast of Palmer Land, Antarctica. Location The Lehrke Inlet of the Weddell Sea is on the east coast of Palmer L ...

and Cape Collier, along the east coast of

Palmer Land Palmer Land () is the portion of the Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica that lies south of a line joining Cape Jeremy and Cape Agassiz. This application of Palmer Land is consistent with the 1964 agreement between the Advisory Committee on Antarctic N ...

, Antarctica.

Location

The Smith Inlet is in the

Wilkins Coast Wilkins Coast is that portion of the east coast of the Antarctic Peninsula between Cape Agassiz and Cape Boggs. Name Wilkins Coast was named by the United States Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN) for Sir Hubert Wilkins, who in a pion ...

, beside the

Weddell Sea The Weddell Sea is part of the Southern Ocean and contains the Weddell Gyre. Its land boundaries are defined by the bay formed from the coasts of Coats Land and the Antarctic Peninsula. The easternmost point is Cape Norvegia at Princess Martha C ...

to the east. The

Hughes Ice Piedmont Hughes Ice Piedmont () is the ice piedmont between Cordini Glacier and Smith Inlet on the east coast of Palmer Land, Antarctica. Location Hughes Ice Piedmont is on the Wilkins Coast of central Palmer Land, facing the Weddell Sea. It is south of ...

is to the north and the Eielson Peninsula is to the south. The

Eland Mountains The Eland Mountains () are a range of mountains which rise above and extend about in a northeast–southwest direction along the south side of Clifford Glacier, on the east coast of Palmer Land, Antarctica. Location The Eland Mountains are ...

are to the southwest and the

Columbia Mountains The Columbia Mountains are a group of mountain ranges along the Upper Columbia River in British Columbia, Montana, Idaho and Washington (state), Washington. The mountain range covers 135,952 km² (52,491 sq mi). The range is bounded by th ...

are to the northwest. The Clifford Glacier, which is fed from the north by the Richardson Glacier, drains into the Smith Inlet from the west. Features to the north include Croom Glacier, Moe Point, Shabica Glacier, Mount Tenniel, Kubitza Glacier, Mount Samsel and Mikus Hill. Features to the south include

Elder Bluff Eielson Peninsula () is a rugged, mainly snow-covered peninsula, long in an east–west direction and averaging wide, lying between Smith Inlet and Lehrke Inlet on the east coast of Palmer Land, Antarctica. Location The Kvinge Peninsula is ...

, Benson Hills, Berry Massif and

Peters Bastion The Eland Mountains () are a range of mountains which rise above and extend about in a northeast–southwest direction along the south side of Clifford Glacier, on the east coast of Palmer Land, Antarctica. Location The Eland Mountains are ...

Discovery and name

Smith Inlet inlet was discovered and charted in 1940 by 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 ...

(USAS), but it was later erroneously shown on charts as Stefansson Inlet. During 1947 the inlet was photographed from the air by the

Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition The Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition (RARE) was an expedition from 1947–1948 which researched the area surrounding the head of the Weddell Sea in Antarctica. Background Finn Ronne led the RARE which was the final privately sponsored exp ...

(RARE) under

Finn Ronne Finn Ronne (December 20, 1899 – January 12, 1980) was a Norwegian-born U.S. citizen and Antarctic explorer. Background Finn Ronne was born in Horten, in Vestfold county, Norway. His father, Martin Rønne (1861–1932), was a polar explorer ...

, who in conjunction with the

Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey The Falkland Islands and Dependencies Aerial Survey Expedition (FIDASE) was an aerial survey of the Falkland Islands Dependencies The Falkland Islands Dependencies was the constitutional arrangement from 1843 until 1985 for administering the v ...

(FIDS) charted it from the ground. It was named by Ronne for Rear Admiral Edward H. Smith,

USCG The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, mi ...

, noted Arctic oceanographer and explorer, leader of and later Director of the

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI, acronym pronounced ) is a private, nonprofit research and higher education facility dedicated to the study of marine science and engineering. Established in 1930 in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, it i ...

Northern features

Croom Glacier

Croom Glacier 70°18'S, 62°25'W A steep, broad glacier flowing to the head of Smith Inlet between Moe Point and Hughes Ice Piedmont, on the E coast of Palmer Land. Mapped by USGS in 1974. Named by US-ACAN for John M. Croom, USARP biologist at Palmer Station in 1968-69. He was U.S. Exchange Scientist at the Soviet's Bellingshausen Station in 1970.

Moe Point

Moe Point 70°19'S, 62°23'W A point consisting of a small bare rock bluff, located just S of Croom Glacier on the NW side of Smith Inlet. Mapped by USGS in 1974. Named by US-ACAN for Richard Moe, USARP biologist at Palmer Station in 1974.

Shabica Glacier

Shabica Glacier 70°21'S, 62°45'W A northern tributary glacier to the Clifford Glacier, joining it near its terminus just E of Mount Tenniel. Mapped by USGS in 1974. Named by US-ACAN for Stephen V. Shabica, USARP biologist and Station Scientific Leader at Palmer Station in 1970.

Mount Tenniel

Mount Tennie, 70°20'S, 62°48'W A mountain, 1,625 m, standing 7 mi WNW of the mouth of Clifford Glacier. Discovered in 1936 by a BGLE sledge party under Rymill. During 1947 it was photographed from the air by the RARE under Ronne, who in conjunction with the FIDS charted it from the ground. Named in 1952 by Sir Miles Clifford, Governor of the Falkland Islands, for his great-uncle Sir John Tenniel, 1820-1914, noted English illustrating artist, humorist, and political cartoonist.

Kubitza Glacier

Kubitza Glacier 70°24'S, 63°11'W A northern tributary glacier to the Clifford Glacier, joining it just east of Mount Samsel. Mapped by USGS in 1974. Named by US-ACAN for J.T. Kubitza, BUG, USN, Chief Builder in the construction detachment at Palmer Station in 1969-70.

Mount Samsel

Samsel, Mount 70°24'S, 63815'W A mountain along the N side of Clifford Glacier, just W of the juncture of the Kubitza Glacier, in Palmer Land. Mapped by USGS in 1974. Named by US-ACAN for Gene L. Samsel, USARP biologist at Palmer Station in the 1969-70 and 1970-71 seasons.

Mikus Hill

Mikus Hill 70°27'S, 63°50'W A hill with a number of bare rock exposures, surmounting the SW wall of Richardson Glacier in Palmer Land. Mapped by USGS in 1974. Named by US-ACAN for Edward J. Mikus, PH3, USN, photographer of the cartographic aerial mapping crew in LC-130 aircraft of Squadron VXE-6, 1968-69.

Richardson Glacier

Richardson Glacier 70°28'S, 63°42'W The broad NW tributary to the Clifford Glacier, entering it just SE of Mikus Hill. Mapped by the USGS in 1974. Named by US-ACAN after Harriet Richardson, French zoologist, author of a number of reports on the Crustacea (Isopoda) collected by the French Antarctic Expeditions of 1903-05 and 1908-10.

Southern features

Benson Hills

Benson Hills 70°28'S, 62°17'W A cluster of coastal hills near the head of Smith Inlet, 3 mi E of Berry Massif. Mapped by USGS in 1974. Named by US-ACAN for Lt. Arthur K. Benson, USN, Medical Officer at Palmer Station in 1969.

Berry Massif

Berry Massif 70°27'S, 62°30'W A compact, roughly circular and mostly snow-covered massif located at the S side of the terminus of Clifford Glacier, where the latter enters Smith Inlet. Mapped by USGS in 1974. Named by US-ACAN for Dale L. Berry, USARP biologist who was Station Scientific Leader at Palmer Station in 1971.

Clifford Glacier

Clifford Glacier 70°23'S, 62°30'W Broad glacier, about 40 mi long, flowing in an ENE direction to the gap between Mount Tenniel and the Eland Mountains, and then E to Smith Inlet. The upper part of this glacier was charted in 1936 by the BGLE under Rymill; the seaward side by the USAS survey party which explored along this coast in 1940. During 1947 it was photographed from the air by the RARE under Ronne, who in conjunction with the FIDS charted it from the ground. Named in 1952 by the FIDS for Sir G. Miles Clifford, then Gov. of the Falkland Islands.

References

Sources

* * {{Include-USGov , agency=United States Geological Survey Inlets of Palmer Land