The Forrestal Range () is a largely snow-covered

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...

, about long, standing east of

Dufek Massif Dufek Massif, Augusto Pinochet Massif or Santa Teresita Massif is a rugged, largely snow-covered massif long, standing west of the Forrestal Range in the northern part of the Pensacola Mountains. It was discovered and photographed on January 13, 1 ...

and the

Neptune Range The Neptune Range is a mountain range, long, lying WSW of Forrestal Range in the central part of the Pensacola Mountains in Antarctica. The range is composed of Washington Escarpment with its associated ridges, valleys and peaks, the Iroquois ...

in the

Pensacola Mountains The Pensacola Mountains are a large group of mountain ranges of the Transantarctic Mountains System, located in the Queen Elizabeth Land region of Antarctica. Geography They extend 450 km (280 mi) in a NE-SW direction. Subranges of th ...

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 ...

. Discovered and photographed on 13 January 1956 on a transcontinental patrol plane flight of

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

Operation Deep Freeze Operation Deep Freeze (OpDFrz or ODF) is codename for a series of United States missions to Antarctica, beginning with "Operation Deep Freeze I" in 1955–56, followed by "Operation Deep Freeze II", "Operation Deep Freeze III", and so on. (There w ...

I from

McMurdo Sound McMurdo Sound is a sound in Antarctica. It is the southernmost navigable body of water in the world, and is about from the South Pole. Captain James Clark Ross discovered the sound in February 1841, and named it after Lt. Archibald McMurdo o ...

to the vicinity of the

Weddell Sea The Weddell Sea is part of the Southern Ocean and contains the Weddell Gyre. Its land boundaries are defined by the bay formed from the coasts of Coats Land and the Antarctic Peninsula. The easternmost point is Cape Norvegia at Princess Martha ...

and return. Named by the

US-ACAN The Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (ACAN or US-ACAN) is an advisory committee of the United States Board on Geographic Names responsible for recommending commemorative names for features in Antarctica. History The committee was established ...

after , first

supercarrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a n ...

of the U.S. Navy. The entire Pensacola Mountains were mapped by

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...

in 1967 and 1968 from U.S. Navy tricamera aerial photographs taken in 1964.

Key mountains

* Abele Spur () is a rock

spur A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse or other animal to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids (commands) and to back ...

that descends west from Mount Lechner toward the Herring Nunataks. It was named by US-ACAN at the suggestion of Arthur B. Ford for Gunars Abele,

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing ...

on the 1973–1974

United States Antarctic Research Program 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 ...

(USARP)-

CRREL The Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) is a United States Army Corps of Engineers, Engineer Research and Development Center research facility headquartered in Hanover, New Hampshire, that provides scientific and engineering ...

survey in this area. * Blount Nunatak () is a prominent

nunatak A nunatak (from Inuit ''nunataq'') is the summit or ridge of a mountain that protrudes from an ice field or glacier that otherwise covers most of the mountain or ridge. They are also called glacial islands. Examples are natural pyramidal peaks. ...

, , standing southwest of Mount Lechner on the west side of Forrestal Range. Discovered and photographed on January 13, 1956 during a U.S. Navy transcontinental nonstop plane flight from

and return. Named by US-ACAN for Hartford E. Blount, aviation machinists mate with U.S. Navy Squadron VX during

, 1956. * Cooke Crags () are rock crags on the ice slope between Henderson Bluff and Mount Lechner on the west side of Lexington Table. The area was mapped by USGS from surveys and U.S. Navy aerial photographs, 1956–1966. Named by US-ACAN in 1979 after James E. Cooke, USGS geophysicist who worked in Forrestal Range and

, 1978–1979. * Mount Lechner is a prominent

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...

, , surmounting the southwest end of Saratoga Table. Mapped by USGS from surveys and

air photos, 1956–1966. Named by US-ACAN for Major Ralph C. Lechner, USA, airlift coordinator on the staff of the Commander, U.S. Naval Support Force, Antarctica, 1964–1966. * Watts Summit () is a

peak Peak or The Peak may refer to: Basic meanings Geology * Mountain peak ** Pyramidal peak, a mountaintop that has been sculpted by erosion to form a point Mathematics * Peak hour or rush hour, in traffic congestion * Peak (geometry), an (''n''-3)-di ...

rising to in the southwestern corner of Lexington Table. Mapped by USGS in 1967 from ground surveys and U.S. Navy aerial photographs taken 1964. Named in 1979 by US-ACAN after Raymond D. Watts, USGS geophysicist who worked in the Forrestal Range and

, 1978–1979. * Mount Zirzow () is a mountain, , standing north of Mount Mann on the east edge of Lexington Table. Mapped by USGS from surveys and U.S. Navy air photos, 1956–1966. Named by US-ACAN for Commander Charles F. Zirzow, U.S. Navy, Assistant Chief of Staff to the Commander, U.S. Naval Support Force, Antarctica, 1966–1967.

Key geographical features

* Lexington Table () is a high, flat, snow-covered plateau, about long and wide, standing just north of Kent Gap and Saratoga Table. Discovered and photographed on January 13, 1956 on a transcontinental nonstop flight by personnel of U.S. Navy Operation Deep Freeze I from McMurdo Sound to the vicinity of Weddell Sea and return. Named by US-ACAN for of 1926, one of the first large aircraft carriers of the U.S. Navy. * Saratoga Table () is a high, flat, snow-covered plateau, long and wide, standing just south of Kent Gap and Lexington Table. Discovered and photographed on January 13, 1956 on a transcontinental nonstop flight by personnel of U.S. Navy Operation Deep Freeze I from McMurdo Sound to the vicinity of Weddell Sea and return. Named by US-ACAN for of 1926, one of the first large aircraft carriers of the U.S. Navy.

Features

Geographical features include:

Ackerman Nunatak Ackerman Nunatak is an isolated nunatak, high, standing south-southeast of Butler Rocks in northern Forrestal Range, Pensacola Mountains. Mapped by United States Geological Survey (USGS) from surveys and U.S. Navy air photos, 1956–66. Na ...

Beiszer Nunatak Beiszer Nunatak () is a nunatak, high, standing south of Ray Nunatak at the southwest end of the Forrestal Range, Pensacola Mountains. It was mapped by the United States Geological Survey from surveys and from U.S. Navy air photos, 1956–66, and ...

* Burmester Dome * Butler Rocks * Camp Spur * Chambers Glacier * Coal Rock * Creaney Nunataks * Crouse Spur * Dyrdal Peak * Erlanger Spur * Fierle Peak *

Ford Ice Piedmont Ford Ice Piedmont () is the large ice piedmont lying northward of Dufek Massif and the Forrestal Range between the lower ends of Foundation Ice Stream and Support Force Glacier, in the Pensacola Mountains of Antarctica. It was named by the Advisory ...

* Franko Escarpment * Gabbro Crest * Grob Ridge *

Haskill Nunatak The Saratoga Table () is a high, flat, snow-covered plateau, long and wide, standing just south of Kent Gap and Lexington Table in the southern Forrestal Range, Pensacola Mountains, Antarctica. Discovery and name The Saratoga Table was discover ...

* Henderson Bluff * Herring Nunataks *

Hodge Escarpment Hodge Escarpment () is an escarpment to the northeast of Henderson Bluff on the northwest side of Lexington Table, in the Forrestal Range of the Pensacola Mountains, Antarctica. It was named by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names for Steven ...

* Huie Cliffs * Kent Gap * Kovacs Glacier * Lance Rocks *

Larson Nunataks The Larson Nunataks () are a small cluster of nunataks lying along the east side of the Forrestal Range, southeast of Mount Malville, in the Pensacola Mountains of Antarctica. The group was mapped by the United States Geological Survey from surv ...

* Magnetite Bluff * Mathis Spur * May Valley * McCauley Rock * Median Snowfield * Mount Hook * Mount Hummer * Mount Malville * Mount Mann * Mount Stephens *

Ray Nunatak The Saratoga Table () is a high, flat, snow-covered plateau, long and wide, standing just south of Kent Gap and Lexington Table in the southern Forrestal Range, Pensacola Mountains, Antarctica. Discovery and name The Saratoga Table was discover ...

* Ritala Spur * Ronald Rock * Sallee Snowfield * Sheriff Cliffs * Skidmore Cliff * Sorna Bluff *

Support Force Glacier Support Force Glacier is a major glacier in the Pensacola Mountains, draining northward between the Forrestal Range and Argentina Range to the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf. Mapped by the United States Geological Survey from surveys and US Navy air ...

* Thompo Icefall * Vanguard Nunatak * Vigen Cliffs

References

{{USGS Mountain ranges of Queen Elizabeth Land . Transantarctic Mountains