The Lyon Nunataks () are a group of

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. ...

s lying west of the

Grossman Nunataks The Grossman Nunataks () are a group of about a dozen nunataks in Palmer Land, Antarctica, rising in elevation and running northwest–southeast for between the Lyon Nunataks and the Sky-Hi Nunataks. The group includes features from the Smi ...

and northwest of the

Behrendt Mountains The Behrendt Mountains () is a group of mountains, 32 km (20 mi) long, aligned in the form of a horseshoe with the opening to the southwest, standing 11 km (7 mi) SW of Merrick Mountains at the base of the Antarctic Peninsula. Discovered ...

, in Ellsworth Land, Antarctica. They include Grossenbacher Nunatak, Holtet Nunatak] Christoph Nunatak and Isakson Nunatak.

Location

The Lyon Nunataks are in eastern Ellsworth Land to the northwest of the

Merrick Mountains The Merrick Mountains () are a cluster of mountains, 13 km (8 mi) long, standing 11 km (7 mi) northeast of the Behrendt Mountains in Ellsworth Land, Antarctica. Discovered and photographed from the air by the Ronne Antarctic ...

and north-northwest of the

, They are southwest of the Yee Nunataks. They are west of the

. Features, from west to east, include Grossenbacher Nunatak, Holtet Nunatak, Christoph Nunatak and Isakson Nunatak. Foltz Nunatak, Schwartz Peak and Marshall Nunatak are to the northwest, Mount Rex and Henkle Peak are to the west.

Mapping and name

The Lyon Nunataks were mapped by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) from surveys and United States Navy air photographs, 1961–67. They were named by the United States

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 ...

(US-ACAN) after Owen R. Lyon, hospital corpsman, United States Navy, chief petty officer in charge of

Eights Station Eights Station was an Antarctic permanent exploration base from January 1963 to November 1965, located on Ellsworth Land Ellsworth Land is a portion of the Antarctic continent bounded on the west by Marie Byrd Land, on the north by Bellingshau ...

in 1965.

Features

Grossenbacher Nunatak

. A nunatak at the southwest end of Lyon Nunataks, southwest of Holtet Nunatak. Named by US-ACAN after Ernest P. Grossenbacher, upper atmospheric physicist, Siple Station, 1970-71.

Holtet Nunatak

. A nunatak rising to about high, northeast of Grossenbacher Nunatak. Mapped by USGS from aerial photographs taken by the United States Navy, 1965-68, and from Landsat imagery taken 1973-74. Named in 1987 by US-ACAN after Jan A. Holtet of the Norwegian Institute of Cosmic Physics, upper atmospheric physicist at Siple Station, 1970-71.

Christoph Nunatak

. A nunatak rising to about high, east-northeast of Holtet Nunatak. Mapped by USGS from United States Navy aerial photographs taken 1965-68 and Landsat imagery taken 1973-74. Named by US-ACAN in 1987 after Klaus J. Christoph, upper atmospheric physicist at Siple Station, 1970-71.

Isakson Nunatak

. Nunatak rising to about high, southeast of Christoph Nunatak. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy aerial photographs, 1961-68, and Landsat imagery, 1973-74. Named by US-ACAN in 1987 after Steven W. Isakson of Stanford University, Stanford, CA, upper atmospheric physicist at Siple Station, winter party 1975.

Western features

Mount Rex

. An isolated mountain high which rises above the interior ice surface of Ellsworth Land about south-southeast of FitzGerald Bluffs. Discovered and photographed from the air on November 23, 1935 by Lincoln Ellsworth (Geographical Review, July 1936, p. 459, Fig. 16). The feature was resighted by 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 ...

(RARE; 1947–48) under

Finn Ronne Finn Ronne (December 20, 1899 – January 12, 1980) was a Norwegian-born U.S. citizen and Antarctic explorer. Background Finn Ronne was born in Horten, in Vestfold county, Norway. His father, Martin Rønne (1861–1932), was a polar explorer w ...

, who named it for Lieutenant Commander Daniel F. Rex, United States Navy, of the Office of Naval Research, who made important contributions to the planning of the scientific research program and the equipping of the expedition.

Henkle Peak

. A peak about north of Mount Rex in Ellsworth Land. It lies among a group of nunataks that were first sighted and photographed by Lincoln Ellsworth on November 23, 1935. The peak was mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy air photos, 1961-66. Named by US-ACAN for Charles R. Henkle of USGS, topographic engineer with the Marie Byrd Land Survey Party, 1967-68.

References

Sources

* * * {{Include-USGov , agency=United States Geological Survey Nunataks of Palmer Land