Oxford Glacier

Last updated

Oxford Glacier ( 71°26′31.78″N25°20′17.88″W / 71.4421611°N 25.3383000°W / 71.4421611; -25.3383000 ) is a glacier in the southern Stauning Alps of East Greenland. It is located close to the entrance to the Holger Danskes Briller trough and near Stormpynt, on the north shore of Nordvestfjord. On older maps it is referred to as Uranus Glacier. It was named in recognition of the work of the Oxford University Expedition to East Greenland 1962 [1] A party of four (David Sugden, Brian John, Sandy Hall and Svend Wurm) spent part of August 1962 on a reconnaissance survey of the glacier, which at that time was not heavily crevassed apart from one distinct icefall. In their glaciological studies they noticed ice temperature anomalies which were difficult to explain. They did not know it at the time, but they had discovered some of the earliest evidence of surging behaviour. [2] [3]

Two climbing parties, one in 1976 and the other in 2013, found that the glacier was heavily crevassed and impassable in places. [4] [5] The neighbouring glacier, Løberen, is renowned as one of the fastest-flowing surging glaciers in Greenland.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glacier</span> Persistent body of ice that is moving under its own weight

A glacier is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as crevasses and seracs, as it slowly flows and deforms under stresses induced by its weight. As it moves, it abrades rock and debris from its substrate to create landforms such as cirques, moraines, or fjords. Although a glacier may flow into a body of water, it forms only on land and is distinct from the much thinner sea ice and lake ice that form on the surface of bodies of water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jungfrau</span> Mountain summit in the Bernese Alps, between the Swiss cantons of Bern and Valais

The Jungfrau, at 4,158 meters (13,642 ft) is one of the main summits of the Bernese Alps, located between the northern canton of Bern and the southern canton of Valais, halfway between Interlaken and Fiesch. Together with the Eiger and Mönch, the Jungfrau forms a massive wall of mountains overlooking the Bernese Oberland and the Swiss Plateau, one of the most distinctive sights of the Swiss Alps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pyramidal peak</span> Angular, sharply pointed mountainous peak

A pyramidal peak, sometimes called a glacial horn in extreme cases, is an angular, sharply pointed mountain peak which results from the cirque erosion due to multiple glaciers diverging from a central point. Pyramidal peaks are often examples of nunataks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jungfraujoch</span> Glacier saddle in the Swiss Alps

The Jungfraujoch is a saddle connecting two major 4000ers of the Bernese Alps: the Jungfrau and the Mönch. It lies at an elevation of 3,463 metres (11,362 ft) above sea level and is directly overlooked by the rocky prominence of the Sphinx. The Jungfraujoch is a glacier saddle, on the upper snows of the Aletsch Glacier, and part of the Jungfrau-Aletsch area, situated on the boundary between the cantons of Bern and Valais, halfway between Interlaken and Fiesch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aiguille de Bionnassay</span> Mountain in the Mont Blanc massif

The Aiguille de Bionnassay is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif of the Alps in France and Italy. It has been described as "one of the most attractive satellite peaks of Mont Blanc", and is located on its western side. The mountain's south and east ridges form the frontier between the two countries, and its summit is a knife-edge crest of snow and ice. Reaching it via any route provides a "splendid and serious snow and ice climb".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Priestley Glacier</span> Glacier in Antarctica

The Priestley Glacier is a major valley glacier, about 60 nautical miles long, originating at the edge of the Polar Plateau of Victoria Land, Antarctica. The glacier drains southeast between the Deep Freeze Range and Eisenhower Range to enter the northern end of the Nansen Ice Sheet. It was first explored by the Northern Party of the British Antarctic Expedition, 1910–13, and named for Raymond Priestley, a geologist with the Northern Party.

Lillie Glacier is a large glacier in Antarctica, about 100 nautical miles long and 10 nautical miles wide. It lies between the Bowers Mountains on the west and the Concord Mountains and Anare Mountains on the east, flowing to Ob' Bay on the coast and forming the Lillie Glacier Tongue.

Tucker Glacier is a major valley glacier of Victoria Land, Antarctica, about 90 nautical miles long, flowing southeast between the Admiralty Mountains and the Victory Mountains to the Ross Sea. There is a snow saddle at the glacier's head, just west of Homerun Range, from which the Ebbe Glacier flows northwestward.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Ranges</span> Group of mountain ranges in Antarctica

The Ford Ranges are a collection of mountain groups and ranges standing east of Sulzberger Ice Shelf and Block Bay in the northwest part of Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica.

Jutulstraumen Glacier is a large glacier in Queen Maud Land, Antarctica, about 120 nautical miles (220 km) long, draining northward to the Fimbul Ice Shelf between the Kirwan Escarpment, Borg Massif and Ahlmann Ridge on the west and the Sverdrup Mountains on the east. It was mapped by Norwegian cartographers from surveys and air photos by the Norwegian–British–Swedish Antarctic Expedition (1949–52) and air photos by the Norwegian expedition (1958–59) and named Jutulstraumen. More specifically jutulen are troll-like figures from Norwegian folk tales. The ice stream reaches speeds of around 4 metres per day near the coast where it is heavily crevassed.

Rennick Glacier is broad glacier, nearly 200 nautical miles long, which is one of the largest in Antarctica. It rises on the polar plateau westward of Mesa Range and is 20 to 30 nautical miles wide, narrowing to 10 nautical miles near the coast. It takes its name from Rennick Bay where the glacier reaches the sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thompson Peak (Trinity County, California)</span>

Thompson Peak is a mountain in Trinity County, California. At 9,001 feet, it is the highest peak in the Trinity Alps Wilderness, and the second highest in Northern California west of the Cascades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stauning Alps</span>

The Stauning Alps are a large system of mountain ranges in Scoresby Land, King Christian X Land, northeastern Greenland. Administratively the Stauning Alps are part of the Northeast Greenland National Park zone.

Dansketinden is the highest mountain in the Stauning Alps range, Eastern Greenland.

Norsketinden is a mountain in the Stauning Alps, Eastern Greenland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schweizerland</span> Mountain range in eastern Greenland

Schweizerland, also known as Schweizerland Alps, is a mountain range in King Christian IX Land, eastern Greenland. Administratively this range is part of the Sermersooq Municipality. Its highest point is one of the highest peaks in Greenland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princess Caroline-Mathilde Alps</span> Mountain range in Greenland

The Princess Caroline-Mathilde Alps are a mountain range system in the Holm Land Peninsula, King Frederick VIII Land, northeastern Greenland. Administratively this range is part of the Northeast Greenland National Park zone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nordvestfjord</span> Fjord in Greenland

Nordvestfjord, meaning 'Northwest Fjord', is a fjord in King Christian X Land, eastern Greenland.

Nathorst Land is an area in King Christian X Land, Eastern Greenland. It lies in the Northeast Greenland National Park zone. The area is remote and uninhabited.

References

  1. John, BS and Sugden, DE. 1963. Report of the OU Expedition to East Greenland, 1962. OU Expedition Club Bulletin 12, 16 pp.
  2. John, Brian (2021-10-04). "Stonehenge and the Ice Age: Oxford Gletscher -- the surface thermal regime of a surging glacier". Stonehenge and the Ice Age. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  3. Sugden, DE. 2008. "OU Expedition to East Greenland, 1962: David Sugden's Diary", 67 pp.
  4. Traverse of the Staunings Alps — KJ Miller, Alpine Journal 1976, p 143-153
  5. "AAC Publications - Oxford Glacier, Island Peak, East Face and South Ridge; Snow Dome, North Ridge; Panorama Peak, South Ridge". publications.americanalpineclub.org. Retrieved 2024-04-24.