Britannia Range (Antarctica)
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| Britannia Range | |
|---|---|
  | |
| Geography | |
| Continent | Antarctica |
| Range coordinates | 80°05′S 158°00′E / 80.083°S 158.000°E |
The Britannia Range (80°05′S 158°00′E / 80.083°S 158.000°E) is a range of mountains bounded by the Hatherton Glacier and Darwin Glacier on the north and the Byrd Glacier on the south, westward of the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica.[1]
The Britannia Range was discovered by the British National Antarctic Expedition (1901–04) under Robert Falcon Scott. It was named after HMS Britannia, a vessel utilized as the Britannia Royal Naval College in England, which had been attended by several officers of Scott's expedition.[1]
Location
The Britannia Range is east of the Antarctic Plateau. It is south of the Darwin Mountains and the Cook Mountains, which are north of the Hatherton Glacier and the Darwin Glacier. At the mouth of the Darwin Glacier the range adjoins the Gawn Ice Piedmont, which extends into the Ross Ice Shelf to the east. The Byrd Glacier flows northeast past the south side of the Gawn Ice Piedmont. It divides the Britannia Range from the Churchill Mountains to the south.[2][3][4][5]
Major glaciers
- Hatherton Glacier (79°55′S 157°35′E / 79.917°S 157.583°E), a large glacier flowing from the polar plateau generally eastward along the south side of the Darwin Mountains and entering Darwin Glacier at Junction Spur.[6]
- Darwin Glacier (79°53′S 159°00′E / 79.883°S 159.000°E), a large glacier in Antarctica. It flows from the polar plateau eastward between the Darwin Mountains and the Cook Mountains to the Ross Ice Shelf. The Darwin and its major tributary the Hatherton are often treated as one system, the Darwin–Hatherton.[7]
- Byrd Glacier (80°20′S 159°00′E / 80.333°S 159.000°E), a major glacier in Antarctica, about 136 km (85 mi) long and 24 km (15 mi) wide. It drains an extensive area of the Antarctic plateau, and flows eastward to discharge into the Ross Ice Shelf.[8]
