Alexander Island, which is also known as Alexander I Island, Alexander I Land, Alexander Land, Alexander I Archipelago, and Zemlja Alexandra I, is the largest island of Antarctica. It lies in the Bellingshausen Sea west of Palmer Land, Antarctic Peninsula from which it is separated by Marguerite Bay and George VI Sound. The George VI Ice Shelf entirely fills George VI Sound and connects Alexander Island to Palmer Land. The island partly surrounds Wilkins Sound, which lies to its west. Alexander Island is about 390 kilometres (240 mi) long in a north–south direction, 80 kilometres (50 mi) wide in the north, and 240 kilometres (150 mi) wide in the south. Alexander Island is the second-largest uninhabited island in the world, after Devon Island.
The Beethoven Peninsula is a deeply indented, ice-covered peninsula, 60 miles (100 km) long in a northeast–southwest direction and 60 miles (100 km) wide at its broadest part, forming the southwest part of Alexander Island, which lies off the southwestern portion of the Antarctic Peninsula. The south side of the peninsula is supported by the Bach Ice Shelf whilst the north side of the peninsula is supported by the Wilkins Ice Shelf. The Mendelssohn Inlet, the Brahms Inlet and the Verdi Inlet apparently intrude into it. The Bach Ice Shelf, Rossini Point and Berlioz Point are some distance away, on the Ronne Entrance from the Southern Ocean. Beethoven Peninsula is one of the eight peninsulas of Alexander Island.
The George VI Ice Shelf is an extensive ice shelf that occupies George VI Sound which separates Alexander Island from Palmer Land in Antarctica. The ice shelf extends from Ronne Entrance, at the southwest end of the sound, to Niznik Island, about 30 nautical miles (56 km) south of the north entrance between Cape Brown and Cape Jeremy. It was named by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee in association with George VI Sound.
Boccherini Inlet is an ice-filled inlet, 18 nautical miles (33 km) long and 16 nautical miles (30 km) wide, lying between Bennett Dome and Shostakovich Peninsula, which indents the south side of Beethoven Peninsula and forms the northern extremity of the Bach Ice Shelf in Alexander Island. It was first mapped from air photos taken by the Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition, 1947–48, by Derek J.H. Searle of the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey in 1960, and named by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee for Luigi Boccherini, the Italian composer.
The Ceres Nunataks are a group of three nunataks located immediately east of the base of Shostakovich Peninsula in southern Alexander Island, Antarctica. They were mapped by the Directorate of Overseas Surveys from satellite imagery supplied by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey, and named by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee after Ceres, one of the asteroids lying between the orbits of the planets Mars and Jupiter.
Stravinsky Inlet is an ice-covered inlet lying between Shostakovich Peninsula and Monteverdi Peninsula in southern Alexander Island, Antarctica. The inlet 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. Named by United Kingdom Antarctic Place-Names Committee after Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971), Russian-born composer who became a French citizen, ultimately a citizen of the United States.
Derocher Peninsula is a snow-covered peninsula between Brahms Inlet and Mendelssohn Inlet on the north side of Beethoven Peninsula, Alexander Island, Antarctica. It was photographed from the air by the Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition, 1947–48, and mapped from these photographs by D. Searle of the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS), 1960. It was named by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names after Commander Paul J. Derocher, U.S. Navy, commanding officer, Antarctic Development Squadron Six (VXE-6), May 1985 to May 1986. Derocher Peninsula is one of the eight peninsulas of Alexander Island.
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.
Eroica Peninsula is an ice-covered peninsula lying north of Beethoven Peninsula and Mendelssohn Inlet in western Alexander Island, Antarctica. The tip of the peninsula is Kosar Point, marking the western extremity of the Eroica Peninsula. 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. It was named by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee after Beethoven's Eroica symphony, in association with Beethoven Peninsula. Eroica Peninsula is one of the eight peninsulas of Alexander Island.
Monteverdi Peninsula is a large ice-covered peninsula lying between the Bach Ice Shelf and George VI Sound, forming the southernmost extremity of Alexander Island, Antarctica. The southern side of the feature was first seen and charted by Finn Ronne and Carl Eklund of the United States Antarctic Service, 1939–41, who traversed the entire length of George VI Sound. The peninsula was mapped from trimetrogon air photography taken by the Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition in 1947–48, and from survey by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey, 1948–50. It was named by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee after Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi.
Gluck Peak is a rock peak, 335 metres (1,100 ft) high, located 6.5 nautical miles (12 km) south-southwest of Mount Borodin and immediately north of Alyabiev Glacier, lying between the bases of Bennett Dome and Shostakovich Peninsula on south side of the Beethoven Peninsula, southwest Alexander Island, Antarctica. It was first mapped from air photos taken by the Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition, 1947–48, by D. Searle of the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey in 1960, and was named by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee after Christoph Willibald von Gluck, the Austrian composer (1714-1787).
Handel Ice Piedmont is a large ice piedmont lying north and west of the Colbert Mountains, between Haydn Inlet and Schubert Inlet on the west-central coast of Alexander Island, Antarctica. Apparently first seen from the air by the United States Antarctic Service in 1940 but not separately mapped, it was first mapped from air photos taken by the Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition, 1947–48, by Searle of the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey in 1960. The feature was named by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee for George Frideric Handel, the German composer.
Linsley Peninsula is a broad, roughly rectangular ice-covered peninsula which protrudes into the south part of Murphy Inlet, northern Thurston Island, Antarctica, dividing the inlet into two arms at the head. The peninsula was first plotted from air photos taken by U.S. Navy Operation Highjump, 1946–47, and was named by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names for Lieutenant Commander Richard G. Linsley, U.S. Navy, a pilot of LC-130 Hercules aircraft who made flights in support of the United States Antarctic Research Program geological party working at Thurston Island in the 1968–69 season.
Mendelssohn Inlet is an ice-filled inlet, 25 nautical miles (46 km) long and 9 nautical miles (17 km) wide, situated between Derocher Peninsula and Eroica Peninsula on the north side of Beethoven Peninsula, in the southwest part of Alexander Island, Antarctica. The inlet was first sighted from the air and roughly mapped by the United States Antarctic Service, 1939–41, and was resighted and photographed from the air by the Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition (RARE), 1947–48. It was remapped from the RARE photos by D. Searle of the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey in 1960, and named by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee after German composer Felix Mendelssohn.
Hushen Glacier is a glacier lying at the southwestern part of the base of the Mendelssohn Inlet, an inlet lying between Derocher Peninsula and Eroica Peninsula indenting the north face of Beethoven Peninsula, in the southwestern portion of Alexander Island, Antarctica. The glacier flows northeast while joining Reuning Glacier which discharges into the south part of Mendelssohn Inlet. It was mapped by the United States Geological Survey from U.S. Navy aerial photographs taken 1967–68 and from Landsat imagery taken 1972–73, and was named by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names for W. Timothy Hushen, Director of the Polar Research Board at the National Academy of Sciences, 1981–88.
Schaus Ice Rises is a group of small ice rises merged within the Wilkins Ice Shelf, aligned east–west just off the north side of Eroica Peninsula, situated off the southwest coast of Alexander Island, Antarctica. Mapped by United States Geological Survey (USGS) from U.S. Navy aerial photographs taken 1967-68 and from Landsat imagery taken 1972–73. Named by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN) for Commander Richard Schaus, U.S. Navy, assigned to the Division of Polar Programs, National Science Foundation (NSF), as aviation projects officer, 1979–80.
Stephenson Nunatak is a prominent, pyramid-shaped rock nunatak, rising to about 640 m, which rises 300 m above the surrounding ice at the northwest side of Kirwan Inlet in the southeast part of Alexander Island, Antarctica. Discovered and roughly surveyed in 1940-41 by Finn Ronne and Carl R. Eklund of the United States Antarctic Service. Resurveyed in 1949 by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey and named by the United Kingdom Antarctic Place-Names Committee for Alfred Stephenson, surveyor with the British Graham Land Expedition, who led a sledge party south into George VI Sound to about 72S in 1936. There happens to be another landform on Alexander Island which is named after Alfred Stephenson, that being Mount Stephenson, the highest point of Alexander Island rising to 2,987 m.
Holoviak Glacier is a glacier flowing west into the head of Mendelssohn Inlet, facing towards the Wilkins Ice Shelf on the north side of the Beethoven Peninsula, lying in the southwestern portion of Alexander Island, Antarctica. It was mapped by the United States Geological Survey from U.S. Navy aerial photographs taken 1967–68 and from Landsat imagery taken 1972–73, and was named by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names for Judy C. Holoviak, technical editor, 1964–77, of the Antarctic Research Series, published by the American Geophysical Union, and director of publications for the Union from 1978.
Lewis Snowfield is a low and undulating snowfield lying south of Holoviak Glacier and east of the Franck Nunataks in the southwest portion of Alexander Island, Antarctica. It extends westward from the Walton Mountains to the Beethoven Peninsula and northward from the Bach Ice Shelf to the Wilkins Ice Shelf. The snowfield was named by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee for Ernest G. Lewis, Governor of the Falkland Islands, 1971–74.
Alyabiev Glacier is a glacier in Antarctica, flowing south from Gluck Peak into Boccherini Inlet and lies about 3 miles (5 km) West of Arensky Glacier on Beethoven Peninsula, Alexander Island, It was named by the USSR Academy of Sciences, in 1987, after Alexander Alyabiev (1787-1851), the Russian composer.
