Nolan Pillar () is a

rock pinnacle A pinnacle, tower, spire, needle or natural tower (german: Felsnadel, ''Felsturm'' or ''Felszinne'') in geology is an individual column of rock, isolated from other rocks or groups of rocks, in the shape of a vertical shaft or spire. Examples are ...

(1,940 m) standing 3 nautical miles (6 km) southeast of

Smith Knob Smith Knob is a partly snow-covered rock peak, or knob, standing one nautical mile (1.9 km) south-southeast of Mendenhall Peak in the east part of the Thiel Mountains of Antarctica. The name was proposed by Peter Bermel and Arthur Ford, co- ...

and marking the east extremity of the

Thiel Mountains The Thiel Mountains are an isolated, mainly snow-capped mountain range of the Transantarctic Mountains System, located in the Ellsworth Land region of Antarctica. The mountain range is long, and is located roughly between the Horlick Mountai ...

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 ...

. The name was proposed by

Peter Bermel Peter Bermel (born 25 June 1967) is a retired German swimmer who won a bronze medal at the 1985 European Aquatics Championships. He also competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics and finished fifth and eights in the 200 m and 400 m medley events, respe ...

and Arthur Ford, co-leaders of the

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) Thiel Mountains party which surveyed these mountains in 1960–61. Named for

Thomas B. Nolan Thomas Brennan Nolan (May 21, 1901 – August 2, 1992) was an American geologist who was director of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) from 1956 to 1965. The mineral nolanite is named in his honor and he was an elected member of th ...

, seventh director of the

U.S. 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, and ...

, 1956–65.

References

Rock formations of Ellsworth Land {{EllsworthLand-geo-stub