Allison Glacier () is an

ice stream An ice stream is a region of fast-moving ice within an ice sheet. It is a type of glacier, a body of ice that moves under its own weight. They can move upwards of a year, and can be up to in width, and hundreds of kilometers in length. They t ...

on the west side of

Heard Island The Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands (HIMI) is an Australian external territory comprising a volcanic group of mostly barren Antarctic islands, about two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to Antarctica. The group's overall size ...

in the southern

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...

. Allison Glacier flows from

Big Ben Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster, at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, England, and the name is frequently extended to refer also to the clock and the clock tower. The officia ...

massif In geology, a massif ( or ) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a ...

down to the sea to the south of Cape Gazert. To the north of Allison Glacier is

Vahsel Glacier Vahsel Glacier () is a glacier on the northwestern side of Heard Island in the southern Indian Ocean. It flows west into South West Bay, between Erratic Point and Cape Gazert. Immediately to the north of Vahsel Glacier is Schmidt Glacier, whose t ...

, whose

terminus Terminus may refer to: * Bus terminus, a bus station serving as an end destination * Terminal train station or terminus, a railway station serving as an end destination Geography *Terminus, the unofficial original name of Atlanta, Georgia, United ...

is at

South West Bay South West Bay () is an open bay indenting the west side of Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Heard Island immediately north of Cape Gazert in the southern Indian Ocean. The bay was roughly charted on an 1860 sketch map compiled by Captain H.C. Ch ...

, between

Erratic Point Erratic Point is a small, moss-covered point at the head of South West Bay, northeast of Cape Gazert, on the west side of Heard Island in the southern Indian Ocean. The First German Antarctica Expedition in 1902 charted a cape in this vicinity, fro ...

and Cape Gazert. Immediately to the north of Vahsel Glacier is Schmidt Glacier, whose terminus is located between

Mount Drygalski Mount Drygalski is an ice-free hill, high, standing southeast of Atlas Cove, near the northwest end of Heard Island in the southern Indian Ocean. The feature appears to have been roughly charted on an 1882 sketch map compiled by Ensign Washingt ...

and

North West Cornice North West Cornice () is a narrow rock ridge descending in a northwest direction from Big Ben (Heard Island), Big Ben on Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Heard Island, and terminating at Schmidt Glacier (Heard Island and McDonald Islands), Schmidt ...

. To the south of Allison Glacier is

Abbotsmith Glacier Following is a list of glaciers of Heard Island and McDonald Islands in Antarctica. This list may not reflect recently named glaciers in Heard Island and McDonald Islands. Context Heard Island is a volcanic island in the Southern Ocean that is ...

, while Cape Gazert is immediately west.

Discovery and naming

Allison Glacier was named after Ian Allison, an Australian

glaciologist Glaciology (; ) is the scientific study of glaciers, or more generally ice and natural phenomena that involve ice. Glaciology is an interdisciplinary Earth science that integrates geophysics, geology, physical geography, geomorphology, climato ...

who carried out glaciological research in this area in 1971 for the

Australian Antarctic Division The Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) is a division of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. The Division undertakes science programs and research projects to contribute to an understanding of Antarctica and the ...

during the French-Australian Antarctic Expedition.

References

External links

*Clic
here
to see a map of Heard Island and McDonald Islands, including all major topographical features
Australian Antarctic DivisionAustralian Antarctic GazetteerComposite Gazetteer of AntarcticaAustralian Antarctic Names and Medals Committee (AANMC)Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR)
{{Glaciers of Heard Island and McDonald Islands Glaciers of Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Discovery and naming

See also

References

Further reading

External links