Wilson Hills () is a group of scattered

hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct Summit (topography), summit. Terminology The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally con ...

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 and

ridge A ridge or a mountain ridge is a geographical feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for an extended distance. The sides of the ridge slope away from the narrow top on either side. The line ...

s that extend NW-SE for about between

Matusevich Glacier Matusevich Glacier is a broad glacier about long, with a well developed glacier tongue, flowing to the coast of East Antarctica between the Lazarev Mountains and the northwestern extremity of the Wilson Hills. Geography The glacier flows towar ...

and Pryor Glacier in

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 ...

. They were discovered by Lieutenant

Harry Pennell Lieutenant Pennell with a prismatic compass Commander Harry Lewin Lee Pennell (1882 – 31 May 1916) was a Royal Navy officer who served on the Terra Nova Expedition. He was responsible for the first sighting of Oates Coast on 22 February 1911 ...

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

, on the

Terra Nova Expedition The ''Terra Nova'' Expedition, officially the British Antarctic Expedition, was an expedition to Antarctica which took place between 1910 and 1913. Led by Captain Robert Falcon Scott, the expedition had various scientific and geographical objec ...

in February 1911 during

Robert Falcon Scott Captain Robert Falcon Scott, , (6 June 1868 – c. 29 March 1912) was a British Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the ''Discovery'' expedition of 1901–1904 and the ill-fated ''Terra Nov ...

's last expedition, and named after

Edward Adrian Wilson Edward Adrian Wilson (23 July 1872 – 29 March 1912) was an English polar explorer, ornithologist, natural historian, physician and artist. Early life Born in Cheltenham on 23 July 1872, Wilson was the second son and fifth child of ...

, a zoologist with the expedition, who perished with Scott on the return journey from the

South Pole The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole, Terrestrial South Pole or 90th Parallel South, is one of the two points where Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on Earth and lies antipod ...

Geological features

Axthelm Ridge

Axthelm Ridge () is a narrow ridge, 4 miles (6 km) long, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) southeast of Parkinson Peak. Mapped by

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, ...

(USGS) 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 o ...

air photos, 1960–63. Named by

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) for Commander

Charles E. Axthelm Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was " ...

Flag Secretary A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design employ ...

to the Commander of the U.S. Naval Support Force, Antarctica, during

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 ...

1969 and 1970;

executive officer An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer, o ...

on the USS ''Glacier'' during

1965 and 1966.

Mount Ellery

Mount Ellery () is a

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 ...

, high, near the head of

Suvorov Glacier Suvorov Glacier () is a glacier, 5 nautical miles (9 km) wide, flowing east from the Wilson Hills and discharging into the sea south of Northrup Head and Belousov Point. Mapped by the Soviet Antarctic Expedition The Soviet Antarctic ...

, northwest of

Hornblende Bluffs The Hornblende Bluffs () are prominent bluffs that rise to , located southeast of Mount Ellery and near the head of Suvorov Glacier, in the Wilson Hills of Antarctica. The feature was so named by the northern party of the New Zealand Geological ...

. The region was photographed by U.S. Navy Operation Highjump, 1946–47. The position of the mountain was fixed on February 21, 1962, by

Sydney L. Kirkby Sydney Lorrimar Kirkby, (born 1933) is an Australian surveyor and Antarctic explorer. Work Syd Kirkby was first appointed as Surveyor at Mawson Station for 1956, the third year of ANARE operations in Antarctica. Syd Kirkby was Surveyor and/or ...

, surveyor with the ANARE (

Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions The Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (ANARE ) is the historical name for the Australian Antarctic Program (AAp) administered for Australia by the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD). History Australia has had a long involv ...

)

Thala Dan Thala may refer to: Places * Thala Hills, Antarctica * Thala Island, Antarctica * Thala Rock, Antarctica * Thala, Tunisia, a town in Kasserine Governorate Other uses * ''Thala'' (gastropod), a genus of sea snails * Ajith Kumar (born 197 ...

cruise led by

Phillip Law Phillip Garth Law, AC, CBE, FAA, FTSE (21 April 1912 – 28 February 2010) was an Australian scientist and explorer who served as director of Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (ANARE) from 1949 to 1966. Early life Law was ...

. Named for Robert L. J. Ellery, a member of the Austratian Antarctic Exploration Committee of 1886.

Exiles Nunataks

Exiles Nunataks () is a cluster of small

s 8 miles (13 km) south-southwest of

DeRemer Nunataks The DeRemer Nunataks are a group of nunataks centered about 4 nautical miles (7 km) southeast of Mount Blowaway in the Wilson Hills. The group was mapped by the United States Geological Survey from surveys and U.S. Navy The Uni ...

. Mapped by USGS from surveys and

air photos, 1960–63. So named by the northern party of the

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), 1963–64, because of their isolated position.

Mount Steele

Mount Steele () is a mountain, high, situated 7 km (4½ mi) east-northeast of

Stevenson Bluff Wilson Hills () is a group of scattered hills, nunataks and ridges that extend NW-SE for about between Matusevich Glacier and Pryor Glacier in Antarctica. They were discovered by Lieutenant Harry Pennell, Royal Navy, on the Terra Nova Expedition ...

on the divide between

and Manna Glacier. Mapped by USGS from surveys and U.S. Navy air photos, 1960–63. Named by

(US-ACAN) for Carlett D. Steele,

Chief Aviation Machinist Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

's Mate of Squadron

VX-6 Air Development Squadron Six (VX-6 or AIRDEVRON SIX, commonly referred to by its nickname, "puckered penguins") was a United States Navy Air Development Squadron based at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Established at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, ...

. Steele participated in several Deep Freeze operations between 1957 and 1968 as helicopter crew member and maintenance supervisor.

References