Ponganis Icefall

Last updated

Ponganis Icefall ( 73°32′00″S169°51′00″E / 73.53333°S 169.85000°E / -73.53333; 169.85000 Coordinates: 73°32′00″S169°51′00″E / 73.53333°S 169.85000°E / -73.53333; 169.85000 ) is an icefall, 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) high and 1.25 nautical miles (2.32 km) wide on the east side of Coulman Island in the Ross Sea. The icefall descends from the Hawkes Heights caldera to the sea at Cape Main. It was named by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names in 2005 after Paul J. Ponganis, Center for Marine Biotechnology, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, who studied the behavior and census of Emperor penguins at Cape Crozier, Cape Washington, Beaufort Island, Franklin Island and Coulman Island in 13 field seasons, from 1987 to 2004, and for Katherine V. Ponganis (Mrs. Paul J. Ponganis), a member of the study team in five field seasons.

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.

Icefall

An icefall is a portion of certain glaciers characterized by rapid flow and a chaotic crevassed surface. The term icefall is formed by analogy with the word waterfall, a similar, but much higher speed, phenomenon. When ice movement is faster than elsewhere, because the glacier bed steepens or narrows, the flow cannot be accommodated by plastic deformation and the ice fractures, forming crevasses. Where two fractures meet, seracs can be formed. When the movement of the ice slows down, the crevasses can coalesce, resulting in the surface of the glacier becoming smoother.

Coulman Island island in Victoria Land, Antarctica

Coulman Island is an ice-covered island, composed of several connected shield volcanos in the Ross Sea off Antarctica. It is 33.3 kilometres (18 nmi) long and 14.8 kilometres (8 nmi) and is located 17 kilometres (9 nmi) SE of Cape Jones, Victoria Land. The Coulman caldera, 4.8 kilometres (3 mi) wide and 701 metres (2,300 ft) deep, can be found on the south end of the island. Emperor penguins inhabit this island. Coulman Island lies within the boundaries of Ross Dependency, which is claimed by New Zealand; a claim unrecognised by most other states. It was discovered in 1841 by Sir James Clark Ross who named it for his father-in-law, Thomas Coulman. A notable landmark of this island is Cape Anne, the south-easternmost point of the island, so named by Sir James Clark Ross for his wife. Cape Wadworth is the northernmost point of the island.

Related Research Articles

Sedef Island island

Sedef Island, is one of the nine islands consisting the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara, near Istanbul, Turkey. Sedef Adası is officially a neighbourhood in the Adalar district of Istanbul.

There are several lakes named Mud Lake within the Canadian province of Alberta.

Luminus Arena football stadium

The Luminus Arena is a multi-purpose stadium in Genk, Belgium. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of Racing Genk. The stadium holds 23,718 and was built in 1999. Heusden-Zolder played at this stadium for their single season at the top level in 2003-04. Following the relegation of the club, it moved to Mijnstadion in Beringen. The average home attendance varies from 20,000 to 22,000 supporters who visit the stadium every fortnight.

Mariner Glacier

Mariner Glacier is a major glacier over 100 km (62 mi) long, descending southeast from the plateau of Victoria Land, between Mountaineer Range and Malta Plateau, and terminating at Lady Newnes Bay, Ross Sea, where it forms the floating Mariner Glacier Tongue. Its lower reaches and entrance to its valley were reconnoitered in December 1958 by Captain John Cadwalader, US Navy, and two members of New Zealand Geological Survey Antarctic Expedition (NZGSAE), in a flight from the icebreakers USS Glacier and USS Staten Island which were lying close off the south end of Coulman Island, in an attempt to land expedition members on the mainland. Named by NZGSAE, 1958–59, as a tribute to the work of mariners in Antarctic research and exploration.

Lady Newnes Bay is a bay about 60 mi long in the western Ross Sea, extending along the coast of Victoria Land from Cape Sibbald to Coulman Island. Discovered by the British Antarctic Expedition, 1898–1900, led by Carstens Borchgrevink. He named it for Lady Newnes, whose husband, Sir George Newnes, financed the expedition.

Cape Pine

The Headland of Cape Pine is the point of land marking the boundary of Trepassey Bay on the Avalon Peninsula of the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Tamnagar is a former Village Development Committee (VDC) and now part of Butwal Sub-Metropolitan municipality in Rupandehi District in the Lumbini Zone of southern Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 5786 people living in 1129 individual households.

Ipokia LGA and town in Ogun State, Nigeria

Ipokia is a Local Government Area in the west of Ogun State, Nigeria bordering the Republic of Benin. Its headquarters is Ipokia town. There are other towns like Idiroko, Oniro, Ita Egbe, Ihunbo, Agosasa, Aseko, Maun, Koko, Iropo, Alaari, Tube, Ilashe, Ifonyintedo, Madoga, Ijofin and Tongeji in the town of Ipokia at6°32′00″N2°51′00″E.

Cape Anne is a cape which marks the southeast extremity of Coulman Island, located in the Ross Sea near the coast of Victoria Land. Discovered in January 1841 by Sir James Clark Ross and named by him for his wife.

Cape Wadworth is the northern extremity of Coulman Island, in the Ross Sea just off Victoria Land. Discovered 17 January 1841 by Sir James Clark Ross who named it to compliment his wife's uncle, Robert John Coulman of Wadworth Hall, Doncaster.

Cape Polar Sea is a rock cape that forms the west extremity of Coulman Island in northwest Ross Sea. Named in 1998 by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN) after USCGC Polar Sea, an icebreaker in support of United States Antarctic Program (USAP) activities in the Ross, Amundsen and Bellingshausen Seas, and other Antarctic coastal areas during 11 seasons, 1980-1997. The cape lies in proximity to Cape Polar Star and Glacier Strait, two features named earlier for American icebreakers.

Cape Polar Star is a bold cape which forms the southwest extremity of Coulman Island in northwestern Ross Sea. Named by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN) in 1987 after USCGC activities in Antarctica, including the Ross Sea, since Operation Deep Freeze, 1978. A survey of this feature was conducted from Polar Star in 1986.

Cape Main is a small cape situated 5 nautical miles (9 km) north of Cape Anne, along the east side of Coulman Island, Victoria Land, Antarctica. It was named by the New Zealand Antarctic Place-Names Committee in 1966 for Brian Main, a scientific technician at Hallett Station, 1962–63.

Musina Glacier glacier in Antarctica

Musina Glacier is the 7 km long and 3.5 km wide glacier on Oscar II Coast, Graham Land in Antarctica situated south of Green Glacier and north of Evans Glacier. Draining eastwards between the two principal branches of Rugate Ridge to flow into Vaughan Inlet, Weddell Sea.

Aleksiev Glacier

Aleksiev Glacier is the 10.5 km long and 3 km wide glacier on Nordenskjöld Coast in Graham Land situated northeast of Kladorub Glacier and south of the glacier featuring Arrol Icefall. It drains the southeast slopes of Detroit Plateau, and flows east-southeastwards to enter Desislava Cove in Weddell Sea. The feature is named after the Bulgarian artist and writer Rayko Aleksiev (1893-1944).

Felipe Solo (Obligado) Peninsula

Felipe Solo (Obligado) Peninsula is the heavily glaciated 13.5 km wide peninsula projecting 19.8 km in northwest direction from Danco Coast on the west side of Graham Land, Antarctica. It is bounded by Barilari Bay to the southwest and Bigo Bay to the northeast, ending in Cape Garcia to the northwest, and separated from Biscoe Islands to the northwest by Grandidier Channel.

Kokish is a community in northern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, located on the southeast shore of Beaver Cove. Also on Beaver Cove are the community of Beaver Cove and a former logging camp, Englewood, which is northwest of the mouth of the Kokish River at the head of the cove.

Costa Spur is a prominent spur 4 mi southwest of Quetin Head, Daniell Peninsula, Borchgrevink Coast. The spur descends eastward to the Ross Sea and marks the southern extent of the Mandible Cirque. Named by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names in 2005 after Daniel P. Costa, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, who studied seals at McMurdo Sound and Livingston Island in several field seasons from 1977; he was chief scientist aboard the Nathaniel B. Palmer for two winter cruises associated with the U.S. Southern Ocean Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics (GLOBEC) projects, in 2001 and 2002.

Soza Icefalls is a line of icefalls nearly 200 metres (660 ft) high at the southern margin of Chapman Snowfield in the Churchill Mountains. The icefalls extend southwest for 12 nautical miles (22 km) from Mount Massam, ending near the head of Starshot Glacier. They were named after Ezekiel R. Soza, a U.S. Geological Survey topographic engineer with the Topo North - Topo South survey expedition in these mountains, 1961-62.

References

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates  public domain material from the United States Geological Survey document "Ponganis Icefall" (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.