Wilkniss Mountains

Template:Short description Template:Infobox mountain range The Wilkniss Mountains () form a prominent group of conical peaks and mountains, long running north–south, located east-southeast of Mount Feather in the Quartermain Mountains, Victoria Land, Antarctica. The mountains are wide in the north portion where Mount Blackwelder, high, and Pivot Peak high, rise above ice-free valleys. Except for an outlying southwest peak, the south portion narrows to a series of mainly ice-covered smaller peaks.Template:Sfn

Name

The Wilkniss Mountains were named by United States Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN) in 1992 after Peter E. Wilkniss, a chemist who from 1975 has served in various positions at the National Science Foundation, including Deputy Assistant Director of the Directorate for Scientific, Technological, and International Affairs; Director, Division of Polar Programs, 1984–93; senior science associate to the assistant director for Geosciences, from 1993.Template:Sfn

Location

The Wilkniss Mountains are south of the Knobhead massif, the southeastern part of the Quartermain Mountains. They are separated from Knobhead by the Ferrar Glacier, which flows east from its head near Mount Blackwelder.Template:Sfn The Palais Glacier () is a broad glacier, about long, that flows north between Wilkniss Mountains and the Colwell Massif to enter Ferrar Glacier near its head.Template:Sfn The Wilkniss Mountains are east of The Portal and Portal Mountain. Rampart Ridge is to the south.Template:Sfn

Glaciology

There is a glacial drift deposit with a terminal moraine high in Vernier Valley at an elevation of , one of four moraines deposited by ice flowing from the Ferrar Glacier into the valley.Template:Sfn The Ferrar drifts have ages around 4.0–3.4 million years, 1.2 million years, 700 thousand years and 50 thousand years.Template:Sfn This stability of ice surface elevation suggests that over the last 4 million years the upland regions of the McMurdo Dry Valleys have experienced minimal climatic amelioration.Template:Sfn

Features

File:C77198s1 Ant.Map Taylor Glacier.jpg

Mount Blackwelder in southeast of map

File:C78198s1 Ant.Map Mount Harmsworth.jpg

Pivot Peak in northeast of map

Features include:

Vernier Valley

. An ice-free valley on the east side of Mount Blackwelder in the northeast part of Wilkniss Mountains, Victoria Land. The name is one of a group in the area associated with surveying applied in 1993 by NZGB; vernier being a graduated scale used on measuring instruments to allow the reading of finer subdivisions.Template:Sfn

Mount Blackwelder

. A sharp, mainly ice-free peak in north Wilkniss Mountains, rising to west of Vernier Valley and north of Pivot Peak. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy aerial photographs, 1947–59. Named by US-ACAN in 1984 after Lieutenant Commander Billy G. Blackwelder, United States Navy, Senior Helicopter Pilot, Antarctic Development Squadron Six (VXE-6), United States Navy OpDFrz, 1971–72 and 1975–77.Template:Sfn

Canoe Nunatak

. A nunatak, long and wide, located east-southeast of Mount Blackwelder. The distinctive shape resembles an upturned canoe. Named by Alan Sherwood, NZGS party leader in the area, 1987–88.Template:Sfn

Creagh Glacier

. Glacier, long, flowing northeast from Creagh Icefall to the vicinity of Canoe Nunatak. Named by US-ACAN in 1994 after Father Gerry Creagh (d. 1994), a New Zealand citizen, who served as honorary United States Navy chaplain for over 25 summer seasons at the Chapel of the Snows, McMurdo Station. He was unofficially known as the "Chaplain of Antarctica."Template:Sfn

Creagh Icefall

. Icefall at the head of Creagh Glacier. Named by US-ACAN in 1994 in association with Creagh Glacier.Template:Sfn

Lever Nunataks

. A chain of nunataks that extend southeastward from Fulcrum and the head of Creagh Glacier. The name is suggested by the position and linear arrangement of the group away from Fulcrum. Named by New Zealand Geographic Board (NZGB) in 1994.Template:Sfn

Fulcrum

. A peaked nunatak rising to about at the north end of Lever Nunataks. The position of the nunatak suggests a fulcrum upon which Lever Nunataks act. Named by the New Zealand Geographic Board (NZGB) in 1994.Template:Sfn

Buttress Nunatak

. A nunatak rising to at the east side of the head of Creagh Glacier. So named by New Zealand Geographic Board (NZGB) (1994) because a buttress spur on the east side of the nunatak leads to the summit.Template:Sfn

Pivot Peak

. Prominent conical peak, high, distinguished by a large northeast cirque and as the highest point in Wilkniss Mountains. The New Zealand Northern Survey Party of the CTAE (1956–58) established a survey station on its summit on January 21, 1958. So named by them because its prominent appearance and location make it the focal point of the topography in that area.Template:Sfn

Level Valley

. A distinctive ice-free valley which descends northeastward from the Pivot Peak cirque, in Wilkniss Mountains, Victoria Land. One of a group of names in the area associated with surveying applied in 1993 by NZGB. A surveyors level is an instrument designed primarily to funish a horizontal line of sight.Template:Sfn

Sources

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