The Ohio Range () is a
mountain range
A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...
in the
Transantarctic Mountains
The Transantarctic Mountains (abbreviated TAM) comprise a mountain range of uplifted (primarily sedimentary) rock in Antarctica which extend, with some interruptions, across the continent from Cape Adare in northern Victoria Land to Coats Land. ...
of
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 cont ...
. It is about 48 km (30 mi) long and 16 km (10 mi) wide, extending WSW-ENE from Eldridge Peak to Mirsky Ledge. The range forms the northeast end of the
Horlick Mountains
The Horlick Mountains are a mountain range in the Transantarctic Mountains of Antarctica. Some sources indicate that the designation includes the Ohio Range, the Long Hills, and all of the Wisconsin Range, while others suggest that it includes o ...
and consists primarily of a large snow-topped plateau with steep northern cliffs and several flat-topped ridges and mountains. The highest point is the summit of Mount Schopf (2990 m).
The range was surveyed in 1958-59 by the USARP Horlick Mountains Traverse, and was investigated in 1960-61 and 1961-62 by
geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althoug ...
s of the
Institute of Polar Studies of
The Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publi ...
, for which the range is named.
The central part of the range is occupied by the Buckeye Table, a
plateau
In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ...
, 12 mi long and 2 to 5 mi wide.
The feature is a high level snow surface with precipitous northern cliffs; the plateau surface merges gradually with the inland ice to the south. The name, a nickname of the state of Ohio and Ohio State University, was proposed by William H. Chapman, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) surveyor in these mountains in the 1958-59 season. Ohio State University and its Institute of Polar Studies initiated a program of geological investigation in the Ohio Range and the Horlick Mountains beginning in the 1960-61 season.
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Features
This range includes the following geographic features:
*
Bennett Nunataks Two rock
nunataks apart, lying 0.5 nautical miles north of
Lackey Ridge in the Ohio Range
* Discovery Ridge
A broad rock ridge with a rather flat summit area which projects NW from Buckeye Table two miles NW of Mount Glossopteris. The name was suggested by William E. Long, geologist of the Ohio State University expedition to the Horlick Mountains in 1960-61 and 1961-62. The first
tillite
image:Geschiebemergel.JPG, Closeup of glacial till. Note that the larger grains (pebbles and gravel) in the till are completely surrounded by the matrix of finer material (silt and sand), and this characteristic, known as ''matrix support'', is d ...
and the first Devonian
brachiopod
Brachiopods (), phylum Brachiopoda, are a phylum of trochozoan animals that have hard "valves" (shells) on the upper and lower surfaces, unlike the left and right arrangement in bivalve molluscs. Brachiopod valves are hinged at the rear end, w ...
s were discovered by the expedition on this ridge, hence the name.
*
Eldridge Peak A small, mainly ice-free peak, or
nunatak, marking the west extremity of the range. Surveyed by the
United States Antarctic Research 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 ...
(USARP) Horlick Mountains Traverse party in December 1958. Named by
Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN) for Henry M. Eldridge, Antarctic cartographer, Branch of Special Maps, U.S. Geological Survey.
*
Mount Glossopteris –
A mainly ice-covered mountain which may be identified by the exposed horizontal bedding on the north face, located at the NE end of Buckeye Table. The name was proposed by USARP geologist William Long, a member of the Horlick Mountains Traverse party 1958-59, who, with Charles Bentley, Frederic Darling and Jack Long, climbed to the summit in December 1958.
Glossopteris
''Glossopteris'' tymology: from Ancient Greek γλῶσσα (glôssa, " tongue ") + πτερίς (pterís, " fern ")is the largest and best-known genus of the extinct Permian order of seed ferns known as Glossopteridales (also known as Arberia ...
is a prehistoric fernlike plant whose imprint was found on rocks of this mountain.
Museum Ledge is located on the southwest shoulder of Mount Glossopteris.
*
Iversen Peak A
peak Peak or The Peak may refer to:
Basic meanings Geology
* Mountain peak
** Pyramidal peak, a mountaintop that has been sculpted by erosion to form a point Mathematics
* Peak hour or rush hour, in traffic congestion
* Peak (geometry), an (''n''-3)-di ...
3 miles (4.8 km) east-northeast of Urbanak Peak at the northeast end of the range. Surveyed by the USARP Horlick Mountains Traverse party in December 1958. Named by US-ACAN for
Frede Iversen
People from the United States of America are known as and refer to themselves as Americans. Different languages use different terms for citizens of the United States. All forms of English refer to US citizens as Americans, a term deriving from ...
, ionospheric physicist at
Byrd Station in 1960.
*
Mirsky Ledge
The Ohio Range () is a mountain range in the Transantarctic Mountains of Antarctica. It is about 48 km (30 mi) long and 16 km (10 mi) wide, extending WSW-ENE from Eldridge Peak to Mirsky Ledge. The range forms the northeast end ...
A snow-covered ledge, or shelf-like feature, about NE of Mount Schopf. Urbanak Peak and Iversen Peak rise above the ledge which is the apparent northeast extremity of the Horlick Mountains. The geology of these mountains was investigated by researchers from the Institute of Polar Studies, Ohio State University, 1958-62. The ledge was named by US-ACAN for Arthur Mirsky, Assistant Director of the Institute in that period.
*
Quartz Pebble Hill
The Ohio Range () is a mountain range in the Transantarctic Mountains of Antarctica. It is about 48 km (30 mi) long and 16 km (10 mi) wide, extending WSW-ENE from Eldridge Peak to Mirsky Ledge. The range forms the northeast end ...
A flat-topped elevation on the north escarpment of Buckeye Table. The hill is located where Discovery Ridge joins the main escarpment. The rock that forms the hill is composed of
sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...
and
quartz
Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica ( silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical ...
pebble
conglomerate. The name was suggested by
William E. Long, geologist of the Ohio State University expedition, who worked in these mountains in 1960-61 and 1961-62.
*
Mount Schopf
The Ohio Range () is a mountain range in the Transantarctic Mountains of Antarctica. It is about 48 km (30 mi) long and 16 km (10 mi) wide, extending WSW-ENE from Eldridge Peak to Mirsky Ledge. The range forms the northeast end ...
–
An elongated, mesa-like, mainly ice-covered mountain located just east of Buckeye Table. Surveyed by the USARP Horlick Mountains Traverse party in Dec. 1958. Named by US-ACAN for James M. Schopf, geologist, Coal and Geology Laboratory, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Columbus, Ohio, who greatly assisted the field geologist by analyzing coal and related rock specimens from this mountain. Schopf was a member of the Horlick Mountains Party in the 1961-62 season.
*
Urbanak Peak
The Ohio Range () is a mountain range in the Transantarctic Mountains of Antarctica. It is about 48 km (30 mi) long and 16 km (10 mi) wide, extending WSW-ENE from Eldridge Peak to Mirsky Ledge. The range forms the northeast end ...
A peak with exposed rock on the north side, situated along Mirsky Ledge. Surveyed by the USARP Horlick Mountains Traverse party in December 1958. Named by US-ACAN for Richard L. Urbanak, meteorologist at Byrd Station in 1960.
See also
*
Higgins Canyon
*
Otago Spur
*
Ricker Canyon
*
Skinner Peak
*
Terrace Ridge
*
Treves Butte
References
{{Authority control
Transantarctic Mountains
Mountain ranges of Marie Byrd Land