Aurora Glacier (Antarctica)
Encyclopedia
Aurora Glacier is a large glacier
draining that part of Ross Island
between Mount Erebus
and Mount Terra Nova
, and flowing south into McMurdo Ice Shelf
. It was named by A.J. Heine in 1963 after the Aurora, the ship of the Ross Sea Party
of the British expedition
under Ernest Shackleton
, 1914–17.
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
draining that part of Ross Island
Ross Island
Ross Island is an island formed by four volcanoes in the Ross Sea near the continent of Antarctica, off the coast of Victoria Land in McMurdo Sound.-Geography:...
between Mount Erebus
Mount Erebus
Mount Erebus in Antarctica is the southernmost historically active volcano on Earth, the second highest volcano in Antarctica , and the 6th highest ultra mountain on an island. With a summit elevation of , it is located on Ross Island, which is also home to three inactive volcanoes, notably Mount...
and Mount Terra Nova
Mount Terra Nova
Mount Terra Nova is a snow-covered mountain, 2,130 m, between Mount Erebus and Mount Terror on Ross Island. First mapped by the Discovery expedition 1901-04, and named for the Terra Nova, relief ship for this expedition and the British Antarctic Expedition, 1910-13.Terra Nova Saddle is the...
, and flowing south into McMurdo Ice Shelf
McMurdo Ice Shelf
McMurdo Ice Shelf is the portion of the Ross Ice Shelf bounded by McMurdo Sound and Ross Island on the north and Minna Bluff on the south. Studies show this feature has characteristics quite distinct from the Ross Ice Shelf and merits individual naming. A.J...
. It was named by A.J. Heine in 1963 after the Aurora, the ship of the Ross Sea Party
Ross Sea Party
The Ross Sea party was a component of Sir Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition 1914–17. Its task was to lay a series of supply depots across the Great Ice Barrier from the Ross Sea to the Beardmore Glacier, along the polar route established by earlier Antarctic expeditions...
of the British expedition
Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition
The Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition , also known as the Endurance Expedition, is considered the last major expedition of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Conceived by Sir Ernest Shackleton, the expedition was an attempt to make the first land crossing of the Antarctic continent...
under Ernest Shackleton
Ernest Shackleton
Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton, CVO, OBE was a notable explorer from County Kildare, Ireland, who was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration...
, 1914–17.