Merrick Mountains
| Merrick Mountains | |
|---|---|
  | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 1,256 m (4,121 ft)  |
| Geography | |
| Continent | Antarctica |
The Merrick Mountains (75°06′S 72°04′W / 75.100°S 72.067°W) are a cluster of mountains, 8 nautical miles (15 km; 9.2 mi) long, standing 7 nautical miles (13 km; 8.1 mi) northeast of the Behrendt Mountains in Ellsworth Land, Antarctica.[1]
Location
The Merrick Mountains are in eastern Ellsworth Land, to the south of the English Coast of George VI Sound They are northeast of the Behrendt Mountains and west of the Sweeney Mountains. Features include, from south to north, Eaton Nunatak, Mount Boyer, Mount Matheson, Mount Becker and Mount Berger. Nearby features include Henry Nunataks, Cheeks Nunatak, Lyon Nunataks, Sky-Hi Nunataks and Mount Wasilewski.[2]
Discovery and name
The Merrick Mountains were discovered and photographed from the air by the Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition (RARE), 1947–48, under Finn Ronne. They were named by the United States Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN) for Conrad G. Merrick, United States Geological Survey (USGS) topographic engineer with the Antarctic Peninsula Traverse Party, 1961–62, who participated in the survey of these mountains.[1]
Features
Eaton Nunatak
75°10′S 72°00′W / 75.167°S 72.000°W. A prominent nunatak marking the southeast extremity of the Merrick Mountains. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy air photos, 1961-67. Named by US-ACAN for John W. Eaton, aurora scientist at Eights Station in 1963.[3]
Mount Boyer
75°07′S 72°04′W / 75.117°S 72.067°W. A mountain 1 nautical mile (1.9 km; 1.2 mi) southwest of Mount Becker. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy air photos, 1961-67. Named by US-ACAN for Francis C. Boyer, hospital corpsman, United States Navy, chief petty officer in charge of Eights Station in 1964.[4]
Mount Matheson
75°05′S 72°10′W / 75.083°S 72.167°W. A mountain 2 nautical miles (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) northwest of Mount Boyer. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy air photos, 1961-67. Named by US-AC AN for Lome D. Matheson, ionospheric physics researcher at Eights Station in 1963.[5]
Mount Becker
75°06′S 72°02′W / 75.100°S 72.033°W. A prominent mountain 1 nautical mile (1.9 km; 1.2 mi) northeast of Mount Boyer. These mountains were discovered from the air and photographed by the RARE, 1947-48, under Finn Ronne. The mountain was named by Ronne for Ralph A. Becker, legal counsel who assisted in the formation of RARE and in obtaining financial support for the expedition.[6]
Mount Berger
75°04′S 71°57′W / 75.067°S 71.950°W. A mountain with a steep northern rock face, standing 2 nautical miles (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) northeast of Mount Becker. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy air photos, 1961-67. Named by US-ACAN for Lieutenant Commander Raymond E. Berger, United States Navy, aircraft pilot who flew the University of Wisconsin Traverse Party to this area and flew support missions in its behalf in the 1965-66 season.[7]
Nearby features
Henry Nunataks
75°08′S 72°36′W / 75.133°S 72.600°W. A cluster of nunataks located 6 nautical miles (11 km; 6.9 mi) west of the Merrick Mountains. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy air photos, 1961-67. Named by US-ACAN for K.C. Henry, engineman with the Eights Station winter party in 1963.[8]
Cheeks Nunatak
74°58′S 72°49′W / 74.967°S 72.817°W. The largest and southernmost of three nunataks located 12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi) northwest of Merrick Mountains. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy air photos, 1961-67. Named by US-ACAN for Noble L. Cheeks, aviation electronics technician, member of the R4D party that flew to the vicinity of the eventual Eights Station in 1961 to set up a base camp.[9]
Mount Wasilewski
75°11′S 71°24′W / 75.183°S 71.400°W. Prominent isolated mountain 1,615 metres (5,299 ft) high located 9 nautical miles (17 km; 10 mi) east-southeast of Merrick Mountains. First seen and photographed from the air by RARE, 1947–48. Named by US-ACAN for Peter J. Wasilewski, member of the University of Wisconsin parties which explored this area in the 1961-62 and 1965-66 seasons.[10]
Sky-Hi Nunataks 74°52'S, 71°30'W A nunatak group 8 mi long, located 11 mi E of Grossman Nunataks and NE of Merrick Mountains in Ellsworth Land, extending from Doppler Nunatak in the W to Arnoldy Nunatak in the E and including Mount Mende, Mount Lanzerotti, Mount Carrara, and Mount Cahill. The nunataks were first seen and photographed from the air by RARE, 1947-48. The name derives from the USARP project Sky-Hi, in which Camp Sky-Hi (later designated Eights Station) was set up in Ellsworth Land in November 1961 as a conjugate point station to carry on simultaneous measurements of the earth's magnetic field and of the ionosphere. Sky-Hi's conjugate point in the Northern Hemisphere is located in the Pare National des Laurentides, in Canada. The nunataks were mapped in detail by USGS from ground surveys and U.S. Navy aerial photographs taken 1965-67 and U.S. Landsat imagery taken 1973-74.[12]
References
- ^ a b Alberts 1995, p. 486.
- ^ Ellsworth Land - Palmer Land USGS.
- ^ Alberts 1995, p. 209.
- ^ Alberts 1995, p. 87.
- ^ Alberts 1995, p. 468.
- ^ Alberts 1995, p. 55.
- ^ Alberts 1995, p. 60.
- ^ Alberts 1995, p. 328.
- ^ Alberts 1995, p. 131.
- ^ Alberts 1995, p. 797.
- ^ Alberts 1995.
- ^ Alberts 1995, p. 683.
Sources
- Alberts, Fred G., ed. (1995), Geographic Names of the Antarctic (PDF) (2 ed.), United States Board on Geographic Names, retrieved 3 December 2023
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Board on Geographic Names. - Ellsworth Land - Palmer Land, USGS: United States Geological Survey, retrieved 19 January 2024
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Geological Survey.