Ares Cliff

Last updated

Ares Cliff ( 71°49′S68°15′W / 71.817°S 68.250°W / -71.817; -68.250 Coordinates: 71°49′S68°15′W / 71.817°S 68.250°W / -71.817; -68.250 ) is a cliff in Antarctica. It is formed of pale-colored sandstone and rises to about 500 metres (1,600 ft) east of Mars Glacier and 1 nautical mile (2 km) north of Two Step Cliffs on the east side of Alexander Island. It was mapped from trimetrogon air photography taken by the Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition, 1947–48, and from survey by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey, 1948–50, and named by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee in association with Mars Glacier after the Greek god of war, Ares. [1]

Geographic coordinate system Coordinate system

A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position and two or three of the numbers represent a horizontal position; alternatively, a geographic position may be expressed in a combined three-dimensional Cartesian vector. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation. To specify a location on a plane requires a map projection.

Antarctica Polar continent in the Earths southern hemisphere

Antarctica is Earth's southernmost continent. It contains the geographic South Pole and is situated in the Antarctic region of the Southern Hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean. At 14,000,000 square kilometres, it is the fifth-largest continent. For comparison, Antarctica is nearly twice the size of Australia. About 98% of Antarctica is covered by ice that averages 1.9 km in thickness, which extends to all but the northernmost reaches of the Antarctic Peninsula.

Sandstone A clastic sedimentary rock composed mostly of sand-sized particles

Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized mineral particles or rock fragments.

See also

Related Research Articles

Heald Island is an island, 3 miles (5 km) long and 555 metres (1,820 ft) high, which projects through the ice of Koettlitz Glacier just east of Walcott Bay, in Victoria Land, Antarctica. It was discovered and named by the British National Antarctic Expedition (1901–04) for Seaman William L. Heald, a member of the expedition who saved the life of Hartley T. Ferrar when the latter was suffering from scurvy in 1902.

Utopia Glacier is a glacier in Antarctica encircled by Mariner Hill, Syrtis Hill, Natal Ridge, and Ares Cliff; the feature was named for Utopia Planitia on the planet Mars, which was the landing site of the NASA Viking 2 Lander Mission on 3 September 1976. This name was applied to the feature by members of the Mars Oasis Party who were searching for life on the glacier, much in the same manner as the satellite was on the planet Mars.

Uranus Glacier is a glacier on the east coast of Alexander Island, Antarctica, 30 kilometres long and 10 km (6 mi) wide at its mouth, flowing east into George VI Sound immediately south of Fossil Bluff. Along the south face of the glacier is an east–west escarpment called Kuiper Scarp.

Sikorski Glacier glacier in Antarctica

Sikorski Glacier is a small glacier in the northeast part of Noville Peninsula, Thurston Island. It flows northeast to Bellingshausen Sea between Mounts Palmer and Mount Feury. First roughly delineated from air photos taken by U.S. Navy Operation Highjump, 1946-47. Named by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN) for Stephen Sikorski, electronics technician on USS Glacier, who assisted in setting up an automatic weather station on Thurston Island during the United States Navy Bellingshausen Sea Expedition in February 1960.

Young Glacier glacier which flows east for 8 miles and terminates at the north end of Barnes Ridge, Antarctica

Young Glacier is a glacier which flows from Mount Gozur and Ichera Peak in Maglenik Heights eastwards for 8 miles (13 km) and terminates at the north end of Barnes Ridge on the east side of Sentinel Range, Ellsworth Mountains in Antarctica. It was first mapped by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) from surveys and U.S. Navy air photos from 1957-59. It was named by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN) for First Lieutenant Dale L. Young of the United States Air Force (USAF), who participated in establishing the South Pole Station in the 1956–57 season.

The Cannonball Cliffs are cliffs at the south side of the terminus of Neptune Glacier on the east side of Alexander Island, Antarctica. The feature consists of two east-west ridges about 500 metres (1,600 ft) high, joined by a narrow north-south ridge. The feature was mapped from trimetrogon air photography taken by the Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition, 1947–48, and from survey by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey, 1948–50. The name was applied by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee for the sandstone in the area, which contains numerous spherical, brown concretions known as "cannon-ball" concretions.

Transition Glacier is a glacier extending along the east coast of Alexander Island, 8 nautical miles (15 km) long and 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) wide, which flows east into the George VI Ice Shelf that occupies George VI Sound along the north side of Block Mountain and Tilt Rock. The glacier was first photographed from the air on November 23, 1935, by Lincoln Ellsworth and mapped from these photos by W.L.G. Joerg. Surveyed in 1949 by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey, and so named by them because this glacier marks the transition between igneous rocks to the north and sedimentary rocks to the south.

Planet Heights is a series of summits running along an ice-free ridge, extending 24 nautical miles (44 km) in a north-south direction between the southernmost extremity of the LeMay Range and George VI Sound in the east part of Alexander Island, Antarctica. Many landforms and nearby features are named in association with this mountain range, some of these include landforms named after astronomers, satellites, planets and other things related to astrology and astrophysics. The mountain range was first mapped from air photos taken by the Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition (RARE), 1947–48, by Searle of the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS) in 1960. Named by the United Kingdom Antarctic Place-Names Committee (UK-APC) from association with the nearby glaciers named for planets of the solar system. The only planet that is not featured in any of these glaciers is the planet Earth, as there are no glaciers named "Earth Glacier" and this glacier does not exist.

Not to be confused with Pickering Nunatak in Mac. Robertson Land

Georgian Cliff is a prominent cliff along George VI Sound, located just north of the terminus of Eros Glacier on the east side of Alexander Island, Antarctica. The feature forms a bluff 550 metres (1,800 ft) high at its northern end, but becomes a sharp ridge toward the south. It was mapped from trimetrogon air photography taken by the Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition, 1947–48, and from survey by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey, 1948–50, and was so named by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee because it lies on George VI Sound.

Hall Cliff is a sandstone cliff 1 nautical mile (2 km) long, located along the south side of Saturn Glacier and 1 nautical mile west of Citadel Bastion in eastern Alexander Island, Antarctica. The feature was mapped from trimetrogon air photography taken by the Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition, 1947–48, and from survey by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey, 1948–50. It was named by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee from association with Saturn Glacier after Asaph Hall, the American astronomer who contributed toward the study of Saturn and also discovered the satellites of the planet Mars.

Mercury Glacier is a glacier on the east coast of Alexander Island, Antarctica, 5 nautical miles (9 km) long and 2 nautical miles (4 km) wide, flowing east into George VI Sound between the Waitabit Cliffs and Keystone Cliffs. The glacier was probably first sighted from a distance by Lincoln Ellsworth, who flew near it and photographed segments of this coast on November 23, 1935. It was named by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee for the planet Mercury following rough surveys from George VI Sound by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS) in 1948 and 1949. The glacier was mapped in detail from air photos taken by the Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition, 1947–48, by D. Searle of the FIDS in 1960. Although Mercury Glacier is not located within the Planet Heights, it is named in association with the heights along with many other nearby glaciers named after planets of the Solar System.

Hueneme Glacier is a glacier, 8 nautical miles (15 km) long, draining westward from the Wisconsin Range in Antarctica to enter Reedy Glacier between Griffith Peak and Mickler Spur. It was mapped by the United States Geological Survey from surveys and U.S. Navy air photos, 1960–64, and was named by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names for Port Hueneme, California, the location of the Construction Battalion Center which handled west coast cargo for U.S. Navy Deep Freeze Operations.

Mars Glacier is a glacier in the southeastern corner of Alexander Island, Antarctica, 6 nautical miles (11 km) long and 2 nautical miles (4 km) wide, flowing south into the George VI Ice Shelf. The glacier lies between Two Step Cliffs and Phobos Ridge. Mars Glacier was first sighted from the air by Lincoln Ellsworth on November 23, 1935, and roughly mapped from photos obtained on that flight by W.L.G. Joerg. It was first surveyed in 1949 by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey and named by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee for the planet Mars, the fourth planet from the sun in the Solar System.

Two Step Cliffs is the eastern face of a flat-topped sedimentary mountain, rising to about 680 m, immediately east of Mars Glacier on the east coast of Alexander Island, Antarctica. At the bottom of the cliffs is the Two Step Moraine. First seen from the air by Lincoln Ellsworth on November 23, 1935, and mapped from photos obtained on that flight by W.L.G. Joerg. Roughly surveyed from the ground in 1936 by the British Graham Land Expedition and in 1940-41 by the United States Antarctic Service, who used the names "Two Step Mountains" and "Table Mountain" for this feature. The name Two Step Cliffs derives from the name used by USAS, and was suggested by Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey following surveys in 1949 as being particularly descriptive of this feature.

Secret Lake is a meltwater lake 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) west of Ares Cliff, near the east coast of Alexander Island, Antarctica. The lake is situated in a north-west facing glacial cirque and is fed from an area of stagnant ice. It lies 100 m above the east edge of Mars Glacier and is visible only from the cirque or from the air. The lake was first mapped by Directorate of Overseas Surveys from satellite imagery supplied by U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration in cooperation with U.S. Geological Survey. The name by United Kingdom Antarctic Place-Names Committee refers to the secluded and isolated location of the lake.

Spartan Glacier is a short valley glacier lying between Callisto Cliffs and Tombaugh Cliffs on the east side of Alexander Island, Antarctica. The glacier was first mapped by the Overseas Surveys Directorate from satellite imagery supplied by U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration in cooperation with U.S. Geological Survey. Named by United Kingdom Antarctic Place-Names Committee after the British dog team known as "The Spartans," used in ascending this glacier, 1969. This is one of the few glaciers in Antarctica to be named after a dog team.

Vindegghallet Glacier glacier in Antarctica

Vindegghallet Glacier is a glacier flowing west for 4 nautical miles (7 km) along the south side of Mount Flanuten in the Humboldt Mountains of Queen Maud Land. Discovered and photographed by the German Antarctic Expedition, 1938-39. Mapped by Norway from air photos and surveys by Norwegian Antarctic Expedition, 1956–60, and named Vindegghallet in association with nearby Vindegga Spur.

Victory Glacier glacier in Antarctica

Victory Glacier is a gently sloping glacier, 8 nautical miles (15 km) long, flowing east-southeast from the north end of Detroit Plateau on Trinity Peninsula to Prince Gustav Channel immediately north of Pitt Point. Bounded by Trakiya Heights to the north and Kondofrey Heights to the south. It was surveyed by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS), and so named because the glacier was sighted in the week following the surrender of Japan in World War II, in August 1945.

Venus Glacier is a glacier on the east coast of Alexander Island, Antarctica, 10 nautical miles (18 km) long and 6 nautical miles (11 km) wide at its mouth flowing east into George VI Sound lying between Keystone Cliffs and Triton Point. The coast in this vicinity was first seen from the air by Lincoln Ellsworth on November 23, 1935 and roughly mapped from photos obtained on that flight by W.L.G. Joerg. The glacier was first surveyed in 1949 by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey and named by the United Kingdom Antarctic Place-Names Committee for the planet Venus, the second planet of the Solar System.

References

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates  public domain material from the United States Geological Survey document "Ares Cliff" (content from the Geographic Names Information System ).

United States Geological Survey scientific agency of the United States government

The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The USGS is a fact-finding research organization with no regulatory responsibility.

Geographic Names Information System geographical database

The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database that contains name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features located throughout the United States of America and its territories. It is a type of gazetteer. GNIS was developed by the United States Geological Survey in cooperation with the United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) to promote the standardization of feature names.