Lancing Glacier facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lancing Glacier |
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Location | South Georgia |
Coordinates | 54°20′S 36°56′W / 54.333°S 36.933°W |
Length | 3 nmi (6 km; 3 mi) |
Thickness | unknown |
Terminus | Newark Bay |
Status | unknown |
Lancing Glacier (54°20′S 36°56′W / 54.333°S 36.933°W) is a long river of ice located on the remote island of South Georgia. It stretches for about 5.5 kilometers (3 nautical miles). This glacier flows south from two mountains, Mount Corneliussen and Smillie Peak, and ends at a place called Newark Bay.
What is Lancing Glacier?
A glacier is a huge, slow-moving river of ice. Lancing Glacier is one of many glaciers found on the island of South Georgia. It's made from snow that has fallen over many years and been compressed into ice. Glaciers move very slowly, carving out valleys and shaping the land as they go.
Where is Lancing Glacier Located?
Lancing Glacier is situated on the south side of South Georgia. This island is in the southern Atlantic Ocean, a very cold region. The icy conditions here are perfect for glaciers to form and survive. The glacier's journey starts high up in the mountains and ends when it reaches the sea at Newark Bay.
How Lancing Glacier Got Its Name
The glacier was carefully studied by a group called the South Georgia Survey. They explored and mapped the area between 1951 and 1957. The UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee later gave the glacier its name.
It was named after a ship called the Lancing. This ship was built in 1898 and was originally named Flackwell. In 1923, it was changed into a special kind of ship called a whale factory ship. This means it was used to process whales at sea. The Lancing was important because it was the first factory ship to have a "slipway." A slipway is a ramp at the back of the ship that allowed whales to be pulled directly onto the deck for processing.