Wright Peninsula

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Sighing Peak (in front) and the Stokes Peaks behind it form the northern fringe of the Wright Peninsula. On the right is Stonehouse Bay. Click on the picture for a description of the other geographical features. Viewing direction is toward the west. Antarctica (4), Adelaide Island, Stonehouse Bay.JPG
Sighing Peak (in front) and the Stokes Peaks behind it form the northern fringe of the Wright Peninsula. On the right is Stonehouse Bay. Click on the picture for a description of the other geographical features. Viewing direction is toward the west.
The Wormald Ice Piedmont covers large parts of the Wright Peninsula, and terminates in high ice cliffs on Laubeuf Fjord. The nunatak in the centre of the picture has a height of 398 m. The mountains on the right form part of the Stokes Peaks and mark the northern edge of the ice piedmont. On the far left a melting pond can be seen on the ice. Viewing direction is toward the north-northwest. Antarctica (3), Adelaide Island, Wormald Ice Piedmont.JPG
The Wormald Ice Piedmont covers large parts of the Wright Peninsula, and terminates in high ice cliffs on Laubeuf Fjord. The nunatak in the centre of the picture has a height of 398 m. The mountains on the right form part of the Stokes Peaks and mark the northern edge of the ice piedmont. On the far left a melting pond can be seen on the ice. Viewing direction is toward the north-northwest.

Wright Peninsula ( 67°28′S68°10′W / 67.467°S 68.167°W / -67.467; -68.167 ) is a peninsula on the east coast of Adelaide Island, Antarctica, lying between Stonehouse Bay to the north and Ryder Bay to the south. [1] On its northern coastline the peninsula is fringed by the Stokes Peaks; on its southern side by the Reptile Ridge. The Princess Royal Range separates the peninsula from the rest of Adelaide Island; the only 'gap' is provided by McCallum Pass. [2]

Its eastern coastline on Laubeuf Fjord is formed by the Wormald Ice Piedmont, whose vertical ice cliffs are broken in only two places to provide for ice-free landing sites. One of these is at Rothera Point at the southern tip of the peninsula, where the British Rothera Research Station is situated. The other is at tiny Mackay Point. Just off the piedmont is Webb Island.

Both the peninsula and the ice piedmont were surveyed by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS) in 1961–62, and by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) from 1976. Since 1985, there is a small specially protected area at Rothera Point of 0.1 km2. [3]

Prior to 1964, the peninsula was called "Square Peninsula" for its somewhat rectangular shape. [4] It was re-named by the United Kingdom Antarctic Place-Names Committee (UK-APC) in 1964 for British Antarctic Survey surveyor Alan F. Wright. [1] The piedmont was named by UK-APC in 1977 after Steven Wormald, a prominent former BAS staff member. [5]

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The Rothera Research Station is a British Antarctic Survey (BAS) base on the Antarctic Peninsula, located at Rothera Point, Adelaide Island. Rothera also serves as the capital of the British Antarctic Territory, a British Overseas Territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adelaide Island</span> Island on the north side of Marguerite Bay off the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula

Adelaide Island is a large, mainly ice-covered island, 139 kilometres (75 nmi) long and 37 kilometres (20 nmi) wide, lying at the north side of Marguerite Bay off the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. The Ginger Islands lie off the southern end. Mount Bodys is the easternmost mountain on Adelaide Island, rising to over 1,220 m. The island lies within the Argentine, British and Chilean Antarctic claims.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snow Hill Island</span> Island of Antarctica

Snow Hill Island is an almost completely snowcapped island, 33 km (21 mi) long and 12 km (7.5 mi) wide, lying off the east coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. It is separated from James Ross Island to the north-east by Admiralty Sound and from Seymour Island to the north by Picnic Passage. It is one of several islands around the peninsula known as Graham Land, which is closer to Chile, Argentina and South America than any other part of the Antarctic continent.

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

Sheldon Glacier is a glacier flowing southeast from Mount Mangin into Ryder Bay, Adelaide Island, Antarctica. Named by the United Kingdom Antarctic Place-Names Committee (UK-APC) in 1977 for Ernest B. Sheldon, British Antarctic Survey (BAS) meteorological observer, Adelaide Station, 1968–69, and Stonington Island, 1969–70; Base Commander, Adelaide Station, 1975–76, and Rothera Station, 1976–77.

The Wright Ice Piedmont is an ice piedmont extending westward from Lanchester Bay along the west coast of Graham Land in Antarctica.

Back Cirque is an east-facing cirque to the north of Sloman Glacier in southeast Adelaide Island, off the Antarctic Peninsula.

Cugnot Ice Piedmont is an ice piedmont in Trinity Peninsula, Antarctica. It is about 15 nautical miles long and between 3 and 6 nautical miles wide, extending from Russell East Glacier to Eyrie Bay and bounded on the landward side by Louis Philippe Plateau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stokes Peaks</span> Group of peaks on the north side of Wright Peninsula, Adelaide Island, Antarctica

The Stokes Peaks is a group of peaks rising to about 800 m between McCallum Pass and Sighing Peak on the north side of Wright Peninsula, Adelaide Island, Antarctica. They were photographed from the air by the Falkland Islands and Dependencies Aerial Survey Expedition (FIDASE), 1956–57, and surveyed by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), in 1961–62. They were named by the United Kingdom Antarctic Place-Names Committee (UK-APC) in 1977 for Jeffrey C.A. Stokes, Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS) assistant surveyor, Admiralty Bay, 1959–60, and Adelaide Island, 1960–61.

Fuchs Ice Piedmont is an ice piedmont 70 nautical miles (130 km) long, extending in a northeast–southwest direction along the entire west coast of Adelaide Island. It was first mapped in 1909 by the French Antarctic Expedition under Jean-Baptiste Charcot. It was named by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS) for Sir Vivian E. Fuchs, FIDS base leader and geologist at Stonington Island in 1948–49.

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

Turner Glacier is a glacier on the east side of Mount Liotard flowing northeast into Ryder Bay, Adelaide Island. The glacier was surveyed by Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS), 1948, and photographed from the air by Falkland Islands and Dependencies Aerial Survey Expedition (FIDASE), 1956–57. Named by the United Kingdom Antarctic Place-Names Committee (UK-APC) in 1977 after Andrew John Turner, British Antarctic Survey (BAS) builder, Halley Station, 1973–74; Signy Island, 1974–75; Rothera Station, 1976–77, 1978–80; and Faraday Station, 1982–83.

Piggott Peninsula is a broad snow-covered peninsula between New Bedford Inlet and Wright Inlet on Lassiter Coast, Palmer Land, Antarctica. It is bounded to the west by Bryan Glacier and Swann Glacier.

Fletcher Bluff is a rock-faced, snow-backed bluff, about 800 metres (2,600 ft) high, located 3 nautical miles (6 km) west-northwest of the summit of Mount Liotard on the eastern margin of Fuchs Ice Piedmont, Adelaide Island. It was named in 1983 by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee after David D.W. Fletcher, a British Antarctic Survey general assistant at Halley Station, 1972–73, and Station Commander at Signy Station, 1973–76, and Rothera Station, 1976–81.

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

McManus Glacier is a glacier flowing north into Palestrina Glacier, in northwestern Alexander Island, Antarctica. It separates Lassus Mountains on the west from Sofia University Mountains on the east. The glacier was surveyed by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), 1975–76, and was named by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee in 1980 after Alan James McManus, a BAS cook at Grytviken and Faraday Research Station, 1971–73, and at Adelaide Island and Rothera Research Station, 1975–78.

The Haslam Heights are a line of peaks trending north-northeast–south-southwest, rising to about 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) to the west of Vallot Glacier and Nye Glacier in Arrowsmith Peninsula, Graham Land, Antarctica. They were probably first seen by the French Antarctic Expedition, 1908–10 under Jean-Baptiste Charcot, which roughly charted the area in 1909. They were roughly mapped by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS) in 1948, and named in 1985 by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee (UK-APC) after Rear Admiral Sir David W. Haslam, Hydrographer of the Navy, 1975–85.

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

Hurley Glacier is a glacier between Mount Gaudry and Mount Liotard, flowing east into Ryder Bay, Adelaide Island, Antarctica. It was named by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee in 1977 after Alec J. Hurley, a British Antarctic Survey mechanic at Halley Station, 1975–76, and Rothera Station, 1976–77.

Somers Nunatak is a nunatak rising to about 600 m on the west edge of Reid Glacier, Arrowsmith Peninsula, Loubet Coast. The feature provides a useful vantage point near several geological localities. Following geological work in the area by British Antarctic Survey (BAS), 1980–81, named by United Kingdom Antarctic Place-Names Committee (UK-APC) after Geoff Somers, BAS general assistant at Rothera Station, 1978–81, who assisted in the work.

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

Horton Glacier is a glacier at the east side of Mount Barre and Mount Gaudry, flowing southeast from Adelaide Island into Ryder Bay, Antarctica. It was named by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee in 1977 for Colin P. Horton, a British Antarctic Survey builder at the nearby Rothera Station, 1976–77.

Steven Wormald, born 1946, was prominent as an Antarctic explorer during the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rothera Air Facility</span> Airport in Antarctic Peninsula

Rothera Research Station is the BAS logistics centre for the Antarctic and home of well-equipped biological laboratories and facilities for a wide range of research. The station is situated on a rock and raised beach promontory at the southern extremity of Wormald Ice Piedmont, south-eastern Adelaide Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryder Bay Islands Important Bird Area</span> Important Bird Area of Antarctica

The Ryder Bay Islands Important Bird Area is a 520 ha designated site on the south-east coast of Adelaide Island, Antarctica. It has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports significant numbers of breeding seabirds, notably south polar skuas. The site encompasses the Léonie Islands lying at the mouth of Ryder Bay, as well as Rothera Point, the eastern headland of the bay.

References

  1. 1 2 "Wright Peninsula". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  2. ↑ Geographic data taken from British Antarctic Survey topographic map (Satellite Image Map) SQ 19-20/14 (Extended), Edition 1, 2010, Adelaide Island and Arrowsmith Peninsula, Scale 1:250.000
  3. ↑ See: http://cep.ats.aq/cep/apa/aspa/sites/aspa129/summary.html
  4. ↑ Bryan, R. 1965. Observations on snow accumulation patterns at Adelaide Island. Brit. Antarc. Surv. Bull., 6, 51–62, page 51. At: http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/documents/bas_bulletins/bulletin06_07.pdf
  5. ↑ "Wormald Ice Piedmont". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2020-05-11.

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