Gowan Glacier is a

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...

about long in the

Heritage Range The Heritage Range is a major mountain range, long and wide, situated southward of Minnesota Glacier and forming the southern half of the Ellsworth Mountains in Antarctica. The range is complex, consisting of scattered ridges and peaks of mod ...

of the

Ellsworth Mountains The Ellsworth Mountains are the highest mountain ranges in Antarctica, forming a long and wide chain of mountains in a north to south configuration on the western margin of the Ronne Ice Shelf in Marie Byrd Land. They are bisected by Minnesota ...

of Antarctica, flowing north from the vicinity of

Cunningham Peak Cunningham Peak () is a mainly ice-covered peak, high, at the head of Gowan Glacier along the Founders Escarpment, in the Heritage Range. It was mapped by the United States Geological Survey from surveys and from U.S. Navy air photos, 1961–66, ...

in the

Founders Escarpment Founders Escarpment is a prominent escarpment located west of the Founders Peaks in the Heritage Range of Antarctica, extending from Minnesota Glacier to Splettstoesser Glacier. It was named after the nearby Founders Peaks by the University of Min ...

to enter

Minnesota Glacier Minnesota Glacier () is a broad glacier, about long and wide, flowing east through the Ellsworth Mountains in Antarctica, separating the Sentinel Range and the Heritage Range. It is nourished by ice from the plateau west of the mountains an ...

just east of

Welcome Nunatak Welcome Nunatak () is a relatively small but truly distinctive cone-shaped nunatak standing in near isolation to the north of Reuther Nunataks in the Founders Peaks, Heritage Range. Named by the University of Minnesota The University of Minne ...

. It was mapped by the

United States Geological Survey 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, ...

from surveys and

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 of ...

air photos, 1961–66, and was named by the

Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names 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 ...

for Lieutenant Jimmy L. Gowan, U.S. Navy Medical Corps, officer in charge and doctor at

Plateau Station Plateau Station is an inactive American research and South Pole—Queen Maud Land Traverse support base on the central Antarctic Plateau. Construction on the site started on December 13, 1965, and the first traverse team (named SPQML II) arri ...

in 1966.

References

* Glaciers of Ellsworth Land {{EllsworthLand-glacier-stub

See also

References