Eielson Peninsula () is a rugged, mainly snow-covered
peninsula
A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...
, long in an east–west direction and averaging wide, lying between
Smith Inlet and
Lehrke Inlet on the east coast of
Palmer Land
Palmer Land () is the portion of the Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica that lies south of a line joining Cape Jeremy and Cape Agassiz. This application of Palmer Land is consistent with the 1964 agreement between the Advisory Committee on Antarctic N ...
. The rocky north wall of this peninsula is probably the feature which, on his flight of December 20, 1928,
Sir Hubert Wilkins
Sir George Hubert Wilkins MC & Bar (31 October 188830 November 1958), commonly referred to as Captain Wilkins, was an Australian polar explorer, ornithologist, pilot, soldier, geographer and photographer. He was awarded the Military Cross afte ...
sighted and named "Cape Eielson" from a position above
Stefansson Strait Stefansson Strait () is an ice-filled strait 35 nautical miles (60 km) long and 3 to 10 nautical miles (18 km) wide, between the east coast of Palmer Land, there called ''Wilkins Coast'', and Hearst Island. This strait was first sighted b ...
(Wilkins gave the name to the farthest south rock outcrop seen from this position). This rock wall is conspicuous in the aerial photographs of the peninsula taken by members of the
United States Antarctic Service
The United States Antarctic Program (or USAP; formerly known as the United States Antarctic Research Program or USARP and the United States Antarctic Service or USAS) is an organization of the United States government which has presence in the A ...
in 1940 from an aerial position at the north side of Stefansson Strait. The peninsula is named for
Carl B. Eielson, the pilot on Wilkins' flight of 1928.
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See also
*Elder Bluff Elder Bluff () is a prominent and mostly bare rock bluff that forms a portion of the north side of Eielson Peninsula and overlooks Smith Inlet (Palmer Land), Smith Inlet, on the east coast of Palmer Land. It was named by the Advisory Committee on An ...
References
Peninsulas of Palmer Land
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