McDonald Ice Rumples facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
McDonald Ice Rumples
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Ice rise
 Location in Antarctica
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The McDonald Ice Rumples (75°28′S 26°18′W / 75.467°S 26.300°W) are a special kind of ice rise found in Antarctica. They are located on the Brunt Ice Shelf, which is a large floating sheet of ice next to the Weddell Sea. This area is about 3 by 2 nautical miles (which is about 5.6 by 3.7 kilometers) in size.
An ice rise is like a small island made of ice. It forms when an ice shelf flows over a bump or a high point on the seafloor. This makes the ice shelf get pushed up and become bumpy or "rumpled."
Contents
Discovery and Naming
This icy area was first spotted in January 1915 by Ernest Shackleton's famous Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. At that time, they thought it was a glacier and called it "Allan McDonald Glacier."
Who was Allan McDonald?
The name came from Allan McDonald. He was a shipowner from Magallanes in Punta Arenas. He helped raise money to send a ship called the Emma. This ship went on a rescue mission in July 1916. Its goal was to save 22 men from Shackleton's ship, the Endurance, who were stuck on Elephant Island.
Studying the Ice Rumples
Scientists from The Royal Society studied this area during their International Geophysical Year expeditions. They were working near the Halley Research Station between 1955 and 1959.
What they found
In 1957, they reported that the highest point of the ice rumples was about 18 meters above the rest of the ice shelf. This was just a few hundred meters from the edge of the ice.
Official Name
Later, experts realized that this area was the same as the "Allan McDonald Glacier" that Shackleton's team had seen. To keep the history alive, the UK Antarctic Place-names Committee officially named this area the McDonald Ice Rumples.
