Linnaeus Terrace

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Linnaeus Terrace is a rock terrace on the north side of Oliver Peak in the Asgard Range of Victoria Land, Antarctica. It is protected under the Antarctic Treaty System as Antarctic Specially Protected Area No.138 because it is one of the richest known sites for the cryptoendolithic communities that colonise the Beacon Sandstone. [1]

Oliver Peak is a prominent peak (2,410 m) located 4 nautical miles (7 km) north-northwest of Round Mountain in the Asgard Range, Victoria Land. Njord Valley is located to the east.

Asgard Range mountain range

The Asgard Range is a mountain range in Victoria Land, Antarctica. It divides Wright Valley from Taylor Glacier and Taylor Valley, and was named by the Victoria University of Wellington Antarctic Expedition (VUWAE) (1958–59) after Asgard, the home of the Norse gods.

Victoria Land region of Antarctica

Victoria Land is a region of Antarctica which fronts the western side of the Ross Sea and the Ross Ice Shelf, extending southward from about 70°30'S to 78°00'S, and westward from the Ross Sea to the edge of the Antarctic Plateau. It was discovered by Captain James Clark Ross in January 1841 and named after the UK's Queen Victoria. The rocky promontory of Minna Bluff is often regarded as the southernmost point of Victoria Land, and separates the Scott Coast to the north from the Hillary Coast of the Ross Dependency to the south.

History

The terrace was mapped by the United States Geological Survey from U.S. Navy aerial photographs taken in 1970. The name was proposed to the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names by biologist Imre Friedmann who established a United States Antarctic Research Program field camp on this terrace in December 1980 for the study of microbial flora living in rocks. The site is named after Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus, the first person to enunciate the principles for defining genera and species and to adhere to a uniform use of the binomial system for naming plants and animals. [2]

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.

The Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names is an advisory committee of the United States Board on Geographic Names responsible for recommending names for features in Antarctica. The United States does not recognise territorial boundaries within Antarctica, so ACAN will assign names to features anywhere within the continent, in consultation with other national nomenclatural bodies where appropriate.

E. Imre Friedmann was a biologist, Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor of Biology at Florida State University and the NASA Ames Research Center, and Director, Polar Desert Research Center. He studied endolithic microbial communities and astrobiology. After escaping the Holocaust, Friedmann received his Ph.D. in botany from the University of Vienna, Austria in 1951, and he died on June 11, 2007.

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Idun Peak is a small peak between Mount Thundergut and Veli Peak in the Asgard Range of Victoria Land, Antarctica. The name, recommended by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names in consultation with the New Zealand Antarctic Place-Names Committee, is one in a group of names in the Asgard Range derived from Norse mythology, Idun (Iðunn) being a Norse goddess.

The Inland Forts are a line of peaks extending between Northwest Mountain and Saint Pauls Mountain, in the Asgard Range of Victoria Land, Antarctica. Taylor Glacier lies to the south. The peaks were discovered and so named by the British National Antarctic Expedition, 1901–04.

Alberich Glacier glacier in Antarctica

Alberich Glacier is a small glacier that drains west from Junction Knob toward the east flank of Sykes Glacier, in the Asgard Range, Victoria Land, Antarctica. It is one in a group of features in the range named by New Zealand Antarctic Place-Names Committee mainly from Norse mythology. In German legend, Alberich is the all-powerful king of the dwarfs and chief of the Nibelungen.

Balham Valley is an ice-free valley between the Insel Range and the Apocalypse Peaks, in Victoria Land, Antarctica. It was named by the Victoria University of Wellington Antarctic Expedition (1958–59) for R.W. Balham, biologist with the New Zealand party of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition who did the first freshwater biology in this area in 1957–58.

Barwick Valley is an ice-free valley north of Apocalypse Peaks, extending from Webb Glacier to Victoria Valley in Victoria Land, Antarctica. It was named by the Victoria University of Wellington Antarctic Expedition (VUWAE) (1958–59) for R.E. Barwick, summer biologist with the New Zealand party of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition (1956–58) who worked in this area in 1957–58 and as a member of the VUWAE, 1958–59.

Odin Glacier is a small glacier that drains the west slopes of Mount Odin in the Asgard Range, Victoria Land. Named by New Zealand Antarctic Place-Names Committee (NZ-APC) in association with Mount Odin. It is separated from Alberich Glacier by Junction Knob.

Odin Valley is an ice free valley immediately east of Mount Odin in the Asgard Range, Victoria Land. Named by New Zealand Antarctic Place-Names Committee (NZ-APC) in association with Mount Odin.

Colosseum Cliff is an impressive banded cliff located between Sykes Glacier and the doleritic rock of Plane Table in the Asgard Range, Victoria Land. The descriptive name, suggestive of the Colosseum in Rome, was applied by the New Zealand Antarctic Place-Names Committee.

Junction Knob is a descriptive name given by the New Zealand Antarctic Place-Names Committee to a small but distinctive peak at the junction of Odin Glacier and Alberich Glacier névé areas in the Asgard Range, Victoria Land, Antarctica.

Plane Table is a distinctive ice free mesa in the north part of the Asgard Range, Victoria Land. This flattish feature surmounts the area between Nibelungen Valley and the Sykes Glacier and commands an extensive view of Wright Valley. A descriptive name given by New Zealand Antarctic Place-Names Committee (NZ-APC).

Fenrir Valley is a small, mainly ice-free valley between the upper reaches of Heimdall Glacier and Rhone Glacier in the Asgard Range of Victoria Land, Antarctica. The name, applied by the New Zealand Antarctic Place-Names Committee and the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names in consultation, is one in a group in the range derived from Norse mythology, wherein Fenrir is a wolf chained by Tīw.

Frazier Glacier is a glacier between the Clare Range and Detour Nunatak, flowing northeast to join Mackay Glacier east of Pegtop Nunatak, in Victoria Land, Antarctica. It was named by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names in 1964 for Lieutenant W.F. Frazier, officer in charge at Byrd Station, 1963.

Cape Geology is a low, gravel-covered point marking the western limit of Botany Bay, in the southern part of Granite Harbour, Victoria Land, Antarctica. It was charted and named by the Western Geological Party of the Terra Nova Expedition (1910–13) who established their base there.

Mime Glacier is a small glacier at the south (upper) end of Tiw Valley in the Asgard Range of Victoria Land, Antarctica. The name is one in a group given by the New Zealand Antarctic Place-Names Committee from Norse mythology. In Der Ring des Nibelungen, Mime is the smith who aids Siegfried to win the ring and is slain by the hero for his treachery.

Heimdall Glacier is a small glacier just east of Siegfried Peak and Siegmund Peak on the south side of Wright Valley in the Asgard Range of Victoria Land, Antarctica. The name, given by the New Zealand Antarctic Place-Names Committee, is one in a group derived from Norse mythology, Heimdall being the warden of Asgard.

Hind Turret is a peak at the south (hind) side of Obelisk Mountain in the Asgard Range of Victoria Land, Antarctica. The descriptive name, suggestive of the appearance and position of this peak, was recommended by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names in consultation with the New Zealand Antarctic Place-Names Committee.

The Matterhorn is a peak on Roa Ridge in the Asgard Range of Victoria Land, Antarctica. It stands 1,600 metres (5,200 ft) high, surmounting the north wall of Taylor Valley between Lacroix Glacier and Matterhorn Glacier. It was so named by Griffith Taylor of the British Antarctic Expedition under Robert Falcon Scott, 1910–13, because of its resemblance to the Matterhorn, the famous Swiss mountain.

Sperm Bluff is a prominent dark bluff, 3 nautical miles (6 km) long and over 1,000 m high, forming the northeast extremity of Clare Range, in Victoria Land. Charted and named by the British Antarctic Expedition, 1910–1913. When viewed from the east, the north face of the bluff suggests the blunt head of a sperm whale.

Tiw Valley is a valley lying eastward of Odin Valley in the Asgard Range, Victoria Land. The feature is one in a group in this range named from Norse mythology, Tiw being the god of rules and regulations in war and peace. The name was suggested by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN) in consultation with the New Zealand Antarctic Place-Names Committee (NZ-APC).

References

  1. ↑ "Linnaeus Terrace, Asgard Range, Victoria Land" (PDF). Management Plan for Antarctic Specially Protected Area No. 138: Measure 10, Annex. Antarctic Treaty Secretariat. 2008. Retrieved 2013-02-05.
  2. ↑ "Linnaeus Terrace". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey . Retrieved 2013-06-18.

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

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.

Coordinates: 77°36′S161°5′E / 77.600°S 161.083°E / -77.600; 161.083

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