The Erb Range () is a rugged mountain range rising to between

Kosco Glacier Kosco Glacier () is a glacier about long, flowing from the Anderson Heights vicinity of the Bush Mountains of Antarctica northward to enter the Ross Ice Shelf between Wilson Portal and Mount Speed. It was discovered by the United States Antarct ...

and

Shackleton Glacier Shackleton Glacier is a major Antarctica, Antarctic glacier, over long and from 8 to 16 km (5 to 10 mi) wide, descending from the polar plateau from the vicinity of Roberts Massif and flowing north through the Queen Maud Mountains to e ...

in the

Queen Maud Mountains The Queen Maud Mountains are a major group of mountains, ranges and subordinate features of the Transantarctic Mountains, lying between the Beardmore and Reedy Glaciers and including the area from the head of the Ross Ice Shelf to the Antarctic P ...

, and extending north from Anderson Heights to Mount Speed on the west side of the

Ross Ice Shelf The Ross Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf of Antarctica (, an area of roughly and about across: about the size of France). It is several hundred metres thick. The nearly vertical ice front to the open sea is more than long, and between hi ...

Discovery and naming

The range was photographed from aircraft of the

United States Antarctic Service Expedition The United States Antarctic Service Expedition (1939–1941), often referred to as Byrd’s Third Antarctic Expedition, was an expedition jointly sponsored by the United States Navy, State Department, Department of the Interior and The Treasu ...

, 1939–41, and surveyed by A.P. Crary, leader of the U.S. Ross Ice Shelf Traverse, 1957–58. It 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 ...

in 2008 after Karl A. Erb who played a major role in guiding the

United States Antarctic 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 ...

as both the

National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National I ...

(NSF) Senior Science Advisor in the mid 1990s and subsequently as Director of the Office of Polar Programs from 1998 until 2007 and beyond. During his tenure as the Senior Science Advisor, he helped to guide NSF through the process of justifying and then securing Congressional funding for the redevelopment of the

South Pole Station South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...

Location

Extending north from Anderson Heights the features along the west side of the lower Shackleton Glacier include (from south to north) Mount Butters, just north of the

Mincey Glacier Mincey Glacier () is a glacier, long, draining the southern slopes of the Anderson Heights in the Bush Mountains of Antarctica and flowing southeast to enter Shackleton Glacier at Thanksgiving Point. It was discovered and photographed by U.S. Na ...

, Thanksgiving Point, Mount Greenlee,

Held Glacier Held Glacier () is a tributary glacier, , flowing east from the Anderson Heights to enter Shackleton Glacier just south of Epidote Peak, in the Queen Maud Mountains of Antarctica. It was named by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names for Lieu ...

, Epidote Peak, Geyasimou Glacier, Mount Cole,

Forman Glacier Forman Glacier () is a tributary glacier, long, flowing east to enter Shackleton Glacier between Mount Franke and Mount Cole, in the Queen Maud Mountains of Antarctica. It was named by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names after John H. For ...

, Mount Franke, Mount Wasko, McGinnis Peak, Oppegaard Spur and Mount Speed.

Features

Features, from north to south, include:

Mount Speed

. A roughly circular, mound-shaped mountain with several low summits at the edge of

, standing at the west side of the mouth of

. Discovered by the

(USAS) (1939–41), and surveyed by

Albert P. Crary Albert Paddock Crary (July 25, 1911 – October 29, 1987), was a pioneer polar geophysicist and glaciologist. He was the first person to have set foot on both the North and South Poles, having made it to the North Pole on May 3, 1952 (with Joseph ...

, leader of the United States Ross Ice Shelf Traverse (1957–58). Named by Crary for Lieutenant Harvey G. Speed,

United States 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 ...

, 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, ...

, who wintered at

Little America V Little America was a series of Antarctic exploration bases from 1929 to 1958, located on the Ross Ice Shelf, south of the Bay of Whales. The coordinates are approximate. Little America I The first base in the series was established in January 1 ...

in 1957.

Oppegaard Spur

. A narrow rock spur, long, extending northwest from the southwest portion of Mount Speed, standing just east of Kosco Glacier where the latter enters Ross Ice Shelf. Discovered and photographed by the United States Antarctic Service, 1939–41. Named by United States

(US-ACAN) for Richard D. Oppegaard, Seaman Apprentice, United States Navy, a member of the United States Naval Support Force, Antarctica, who lost his life in a shipboard accident, Nov. 8, 1957.

McGinnis Peak

. A prominent peak high, with a large, bare cirque in the north slope, standing near the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf, just E of the lower part of Kosco Glacier and SW of Oppegaard Spur. Discovered by the USAS, 1939-41. Surveyed by A.P. Crary in 1957-58, and named by him for Lyle McGinnis, seismologist with the United States Victoria Land Traverse Party in 1958-59.

Mount Wasko

. A double-peaked, saddle-shaped mountain high, on the west side of Shackleton Glacier, north of Mount Franke. Discovered by the USAS (1939–41), and surveyed by A.P. Crary (1957–58). Named by Crary for Lt. Cdr. Frank Wasko, USNR, of Squadron VX-6 at Little America V in 1957-58.

Mount Franke

. A prominent mountain (), with much rock exposed on its north side, standing between Mount Wasko and Mount Cole along the west side of Shackleton Glacier, Discovered and photographed by the USAS, 1939–41. Surveyed by A.P. Crary in 1957-58 and named by him for Lt. Cdr. Willard J. Franke, USN, of USN Squadron VX-6, who wintered at Little America V, 1958.

Mount Cole

. A mountain over high on the west side of Shackleton Glacier, between the mouths of Forman and Gerasimou Glaciers. Discovered and photographed by United States Navy Operation Highjump, 1946-47. Named by US-ACAN for Nelson R. Cole, Aviation Machinist's Mate with USN Squadron VX-6, who lost his life in a helicopter crash in the McMurdo Sound area in July 1957.

Epidote Peak

. A prominent rock peak just north of the mouth of Held Glacier, overlooking the west side of Shackleton Glacier. So named by the Texas Tech Shackleton Glacier Party (1964-65) because of the abundance of the mineral

epidote Epidote is a calcium aluminium iron sorosilicate mineral. Description Well developed crystals of epidote, Ca2Al2(Fe3+;Al)(SiO4)(Si2O7)O(OH), crystallizing in the monoclinic system, are of frequent occurrence: they are commonly prismatic in habi ...

which gives the peak a spotted appearance.

Mount Greenlee

. A steep-sided, jagged mountain (2,030 m) of metamorphic rock which overlooks the west side of Shackleton Glacier just east of Mount Butters. Named by F. Alton Wade, leader of the Texas Tech Shackleton Glacier Party (1962-63), for David W. Greenlee, a member of the party.

Thanksgiving Point

. A conspicuous rock

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. ...

at the west side of Shackleton Glacier, just north of the mouth of Mincey Glacier. So named by the Texas Tech Shackleton Glacier Party (1962-63) because they reached this point on Thanksgiving Day, 1962.

Mount Butters

. The snowcapped summit, high, of a buttress-type escarpment at the extreme southeast end of Anderson Heights, between Mincey Glacier on the south and Shackleton Glacier on the east. Discovered and photographed by United States Navy Operation Highjump (1946-47) on the flights of Feb. 16, 1947, and named by US-ACAN for Capt. Raymond J. Butters, USMC, navigator of Flight 8A.

Anderson Heights

. A roughly rectangular snow-covered tableland, long and wide, with an elevation somewhat over high, located between Mount Bennett and Mount Butters in the east part of the Bush Mountains. Discovered and photographed by United States Navy Operation Highjump (1946-47) on the flights of Feb. 16, 1947, and named by US-ACAN for Lt. George H. Anderson, United States Navy, pilot of Flight 8 of that date from Little America to the South Pole and return.

References

Sources

* * * *{{Include-USGov , agency=United States Geological Survey Mountain ranges of the Ross Dependency