Pettus Glacier

Pettus Glacier
Location of Pettus Glacier in Antarctica
Location	Trinity Peninsula
Coordinates	63°48′S 59°04′W
Terminus	Gavin Ice Piedmont

Pettus Glacier (63°48′S 59°04′W) is a narrow deeply entrenched glacier 9 nautical miles (17 km; 10 mi) long, which flows north from Ebony Wall into Gavin Ice Piedmont between Poynter Hill and Tinsel Dome, Trinity Peninsula, Antarctica.

Location

Trinity Peninsula, Antarctic Peninsula. Pettus Glacier towards south end

Pettus Glacier is in Graham Land in the Trinity Peninsula, which is the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. The glacier flows north from Ebony Wall on the side of the Detroit Plateau to the Gavin Ice Piedmont, which lies to the south of Bone Bay and east of Charcot Bay. It passes Ivory Pinnacles, Poynter Col and Poynter Hill on its west side, and Aureole Hills and Tinsel Dome on its east side.

• Copernix satellite view

Name

Pettus Glacier was named by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee (UK-APC) for Robert N. Pettus, an aircraft pilot with the Falkland Islands and Dependencies Aerial Survey Expedition (FIDASE), 1956–57.

Western features

Features on the west (left) side of the glacier include, from south to north:

Ebony Wall

63°55′S 59°09′W. A dark, nearly vertical rock wall which rises about 400 metres (1,300 ft) high at the head of Pettus Glacier. The wall is about 2 nautical miles (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) long and forms a part of the west escarpment of Detroit Plateau near the base of Trinity Peninsula. Charted in 1948 by FIDS who applied the descriptive name.

Ohoden Col

63°50′31″S 59°11′35″W An ice-covered col of elevation over 900 metres (3,000 ft) high extending 950 metres (3,120 ft), and linking Ivory Pinnacles to the north to Detroit Plateau to the south. Surmounting Pettus Glacier to the east. Named after the settlement of Ohoden in Northwestern Bulgaria.

Ivory Pinnacles

63°50′S 59°09′W. Two ice-covered peaks (1,120|m}} high on the west side of Pettus Glacier, 9 nautical miles (17 km; 10 mi) southeast of Cape Kjellman. Charted in 1948 by members of the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS) who applied the descriptive name.

Poynter Col

63°49′S 59°07′W. A snow-filled col, over 700 metres (2,300 ft) high high, joining Poynter Hill and Ivory Pinnacles. The col is 9 nautical miles (17 km; 10 mi) east-southeast of Cape Kjellman. Charted by FIDS in 1948. Named by UK-APC from association with Poynter Hill.

Poynter Hill

63°46′S 59°06′W. A conspicuous hill, 825 metres (2,707 ft) high, standing 8 nautical miles (15 km; 9.2 mi) east-southeast of Cape Kjellman. Charted in 1948 by the FIDS. Named by the UK-APC (1950) after Mr. Poynter, Master's Mate, who accompanied Edward Bransfield on the brig Williams in January 1820 when explorations were made in the South Shetland Islands and Bransfield Strait.

Gorublyane Knoll

63°45′37″S 59°09′21″W A hill rising to 775 metres (2,543 ft) high at the base of Belitsa Peninsula. Situated 3.9 kilometres (2.4 mi) north of Poynter Hill and 9.6 kilometres (6.0 mi) south by east of Notter Point. Overlooking Gavin Ice Piedmont to the north and east. Named after the settlement of Gorublyane in Western Bulgaria, now part of the city of Sofia.

Eastern features

Features on the east (right) side of the glacier include, from south to north:

Golesh Bluff

63°49′21″S 58°52′42″W An ihe ice-covered bluff rising to 1,400 metres (4,600 ft) high on the north side of Detroit Plateau. Situated 6.37 kilometres (3.96 mi) south-southeast of Aureole Hills. Precipitous west slopes surmounting a tributary glacier that flows northwestwards into Pettus Glacier. Named after the settlement of Golesh in Northeastern Bulgaria.

Bendida Peak

63°48′17″S 58°53′36″W An ice-covered peak rising to 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) high in the north foothills of Detroit Plateau. Situated 2.11 kilometres (1.31 mi) north-northwest of Golesh Bluff and 4.27 kilometres (2.65 mi) south by east of Aureole Hills. Surmounting a tributary glacier to the west that flows northwestwards into Pettus Glacier. Named after the Thracian goddess Bendida.

Kokiche Col

63°46′24″S 58°53′56″W. An ice-covered col of elevation over 800 metres (2,600 ft) extending 650 metres (2,130 ft) on Trinity Peninsula, and linking Aureole Hills to the northwest to Detroit Plateau to the southeast. Situated 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) north of Bendida Peak, 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) southb by east of Tinsel Dome and 7.79 kilometres (4.84 mi) southwest of Zlatolist Hill. Named after the settlement of Kokiche in Southern Bulgaria.

Aureole Hills

63°46′S 58°54′W. Two smooth, conical, ice-covered hills, the higher being 1,080 metres (3,540 ft) high, standing close west of the north end of Detroit Plateau. The descriptive name was given by FIDS following its survey of 1948.

Sources

• Alberts, Fred G., ed. (1995), Geographic Names of the Antarctic (PDF) (2 ed.), United States Board on Geographic Names, retrieved 2023-12-03  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Board on Geographic Names.
• "Bendida Peak", Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica, Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research
• "Gorublyane Knoll", Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica, Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research
• Graham Land and South Shetland Islands, BAS: British Antarctic Survey, 2005, retrieved 2024-05-03
• "Golesh Bluff", Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica, Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research
• "Kokiche Col", Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica, Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research
• "Ohoden Col", Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica, Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research
• Trinity Peninsula (PDF) (Scale 1:250000 topographic map No. 5697), Institut für Angewandte Geodäsie and British Antarctic Survey, 1996, archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015