Separation Range () is the northeastern branch of the

Commonwealth Range The Commonwealth Range is a north-south trending range of rugged mountains, long, located within the Queen Maud Mountains on the Dufek Coast of the continent of Antarctica. The range borders the eastern side of Beardmore Glacier from the Ross ...

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 ...

, Antarctica. The branch starts at about 84°20'S, and forms two chains of mountains separated by

Hood Glacier Hood Glacier () is a glacier about long draining northward from Siege Dome in the Commonwealth Range of Antarctica. It enters the Ross Ice Shelf between the Commonwealth Range and the Separation Range. The glacier was discovered by the Southern ...

. The Separation Range, about long, terminates to the north at 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 ...

. Named by the New Zealand Alpine Club Antarctic Expedition, 1959–60.

Location

The Separation range lies to the east of the northern part of the Commonwealth Range, and runs from south to north between that range and the

Canyon Glacier Canyon Glacier () is a narrow glacier, long, flowing to the Ross Ice Shelf. It drains the northwest slopes of Mount Wexler and moves northward between steep canyon walls of the Separation Range and Hughes Range to join the ice shelf immediately ...

to the east. The

Cunningham Glacier Canyon Glacier () is a narrow glacier, long, flowing to the Ross Ice Shelf. It drains the northwest slopes of Mount Wexler and moves northward between steep canyon walls of the Separation Range and Hughes Range to join the ice shelf immediately ...

enters the Canyon Glacier just south of the southern end of the Searation Range. The northern end adjoins the

. The

defines its western edge. Features include Retrospect Spur, terminating in the Chevron Rocks, and Mount Cope.

Features

Features, from south to north, include:

Retrospect Spur

. A spur, long, descending north-northwest from the base of Separation Range into the east side of Hood Glacier. So named by the New Zealand Alpine Club Antarctic Expedition (1959-60) because they climbed the spur to obtain a panorama of Hood Glacier, which they had just traversed.

Chevron Rocks

. A distinctive rock outcrop at the north end of Retrospect Spur, near the head of Hood Glacier. A New Zealand party climbed Retrospect Spur during the 1959–60 season. They gave the name Chevron Rocks because of their appearance, resembling the stripes worn by non-commissioned officers.}

Mount Cope

. A bluff-type mountain on the east side of Separation Range. It overlooks the west side of Canyon Glacier northwest of Nadeau Bluff. Mapped by USGS from surveys and U.S. Navy aerial photographs, 1958-63. Named by US-ACAN for Lt. Ronald P. Cope, USN, Officer-in-Charge of the nuclear power plant at McMurdo Station, 1963.

Prospect Spur

. A narrow spur at the southwest base of Cleft Peak. The spur descends westward to the edge of Hood Glacier. So named because it was ascended to obtain a view up Hood Glacier in order to prospect a route to the south. Named by the New Zealand Alpine Club Antarctic Expedition, 1959-60.

Cleft Peak

. A prominent coastal peak, high, whose eastern side is cleft from summit to base by a huge fissure. The feature rises from the west part of the Separation Range and overlooks the terminus of Hood Glacier. Named by the New Zealand Alpine Club Antarctic Expedition (1959-60) whose four members were landed in the vicinity by aircraft of U.S. Navy Squadron VX-6.

References

Sources

* * *{{Include-USGov , agency=United States Geological Survey Mountain ranges Mountain ranges of Antarctica Dufek Coast