Deacock Glacier facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Deacock Glacier |
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Location of Heard Island and McDonald Islands on the globe
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| Type | tidewater |
| Location | Heard Island Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands Australia |
| Coordinates | 53°11′S 73°31′E / 53.183°S 73.517°E |
| Thickness | approximately 55 meters |
| Terminus | between Cape Labuan and Long Beach |
| Status | Retreating |
The Deacock Glacier is a large river of ice found on Heard Island, a remote island in the southern Indian Ocean. It is a special type of glacier called a tidewater glacier. This means its end, or terminus, flows directly into the ocean.
This glacier is about 55 meters thick, which is like stacking more than ten school buses on top of each other! Scientists have noticed that Deacock Glacier is currently getting smaller, a process called retreating.
Where is Deacock Glacier Located?
Deacock Glacier is on the south side of Heard Island. Its icy end reaches the sea between two places called Cape Labuan and Long Beach.
To the east of Deacock Glacier, you'll find another glacier called Fiftyone Glacier. Its end is between Lavett Bluff and Lambeth Bluff. To the west, there's the Gotley Glacier, which ends between Cape Arkona and Cape Labuan. Heard Island is a territory of Australia, known for its active volcano, Big Ben.
How Was Deacock Glacier Discovered and Named?
Scientists from the Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (ANARE) explored and mapped Deacock Glacier. This happened between 1948 and 1963.
The glacier was named by the Antarctic Names Committee of Australia (ANCA). They named it after W. Deacock. He was a member of the ANARE team who worked on Heard Island in 1963.
You can click here to see a map of Heard Island and McDonald Islands. This map shows all the main features, including the glaciers.
This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Geological Survey document "Deacock Glacier" (content from the Geographic Names Information System). Lua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
