Mariner Glacier is a major

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 ...

over long, descending southeast from the plateau of

Victoria Land Victoria Land is a region in eastern Antarctica which fronts the western side of the Ross Sea and the Ross Ice Shelf, extending southward from about 70°30'S to 78°00'S, and westward from the Ross Sea to the edge of the Antarctic Plateau. It ...

, between

Mountaineer Range Mountaineer Range is the range of mountains lying between the Mariner and Aviator Glaciers in Victoria Land, Antarctica. The seaward parts of the range were first viewed by Ross in 1841, and subsequently by several British and later American expe ...

and

Malta Plateau Malta Plateau () is an ice-covered plateau of about extent in the Victory Mountains of Victoria Land, Antarctica. The plateau is irregular in shape and is bounded on the south and west by Mariner Glacier, on the north by tributaries to Trafalgar ...

, and terminating at Lady Newnes Bay,

Ross Sea The Ross Sea is a deep bay of the Southern Ocean in Antarctica, between Victoria Land and Marie Byrd Land and within the Ross Embayment, and is the southernmost sea on Earth. It derives its name from the British explorer James Clark Ross who vi ...

, where it forms the floating Mariner Glacier Tongue. Its lower reaches and entrance to its valley were reconnoitered in December 1958 by Captain John Cadwalader,

US 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 ...

, and two members of

New Zealand Geological Survey Antarctic Expedition The New Zealand Geological Survey Antarctic Expedition (NZGSAE) describes a series of scientific explorations of the continent Antarctica. The expeditions were notably active throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Features named by the expeditions 1957 ...

(NZGSAE), in a flight from the icebreakers USS ''Glacier'' and USS ''Staten Island'' which were lying close off the south end of

Coulman Island Coulman Island is an ice-covered island in the Ross Sea, located southeast of Cape Jones, Victoria Land, Antarctica. It is long, wide and in elevation. Emperor penguins inhabit this island. It was discovered in 1841 by Sir James Clark Ross ...

, in an attempt to land expedition members on the mainland. Named by NZGSAE, 1958–59, as a tribute to the work of mariners in Antarctic research and exploration.

References

* * Glaciers of Victoria Land Borchgrevink Coast {{BorchgrevinkCoast-geo-stub