The Eternity Range is a range of mountains long, rising to , and trending north–south approximately in the middle of the

Antarctic Peninsula The Antarctic Peninsula, known as O'Higgins Land in Chile and Tierra de San Martín in Argentina, and originally as Graham Land in the United Kingdom and the Palmer Peninsula in the United States, is the northernmost part of mainland Antarctic ...

, in the

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 ...

region of

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

Geography

The Eternity Range is divided into three main mountain blocks, the major summits in each from north to south being Mount Faith, Mount Hope, and

Mount Charity Mount Charity is mountain in Antarctica. It lies south of Mount Hope, rising from the south end of the Eternity Range in northern Palmer Land. It was first seen from the air and named by Lincoln Ellsworth during his flights of November 21 and ...

. These four names were applied by

Lincoln Ellsworth Lincoln Ellsworth (May 12, 1880 – May 26, 1951) was a polar explorer from the United States and a major benefactor of the American Museum of Natural History. Biography Lincoln Ellsworth was born on May 12, 1880, to James Ellsworth and Eva F ...

who discovered the range from the air during his flights of November 21 and November 23, 1935.

Expeditions

In November 1936, the range was surveyed by

John Riddoch Rymill John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

of the British Graham Land Expedition who gave the name "Mount Wakefield" to the central mountain in the range. This complication by Rymill, and uncertainty as to the precise location or extent of Ellsworth's discovery, hindered for a time a resolution of its nomenclature (i.e., following the

U.S. 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 ...

expedition in 1939–41, the name Eternity Range or Eternity Mountains was incorrectly applied to the present

Welch Mountains Welch Mountains () is a group of Antarctic mountains that dominate the area, the highest peak rising to 3,015 m, located 25 nautical miles (46 km) north of Mount Jackson on the east margin of the Dyer Plateau of Palmer Land. These ...

farther south). A careful study of the original reports, maps and photographs, and comparison with materials from subsequent expeditions such as the

Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition The Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition (RARE) was an expedition from 1947–1948 which researched the area surrounding the head of the Weddell Sea in Antarctica. Background Finn Ronne led the RARE which was the final privately sponsored exp ...

, 1947, and the

Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is the United Kingdom's national polar research institute. It has a dual purpose, to conduct polar science, enabling better understanding of global issues, and to provide an active presence in the Antarctic on ...

, 1960, has led to the conclusion that the range described comprises at least the core of Ellsworth's Eternity Range and appropriately commemorates his discovery. The name "Wakefield", given by Rymill, has been transferred to nearby

Wakefield Highland Wakefield Highland () is a snow-covered highland in the central region of the Antarctic Peninsula, bounded to the north by Hermes Glacier and the heads of Weyerhaeuser Glacier and Aphrodite Glacier, to the west by the heads of Airy Glacier, Rot ...

References

Mountain ranges of Palmer Land Antarctic Peninsula {{PalmerLand-geo-stub

Geography

Expeditions

See also

References