Stephenson Glacier facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Stephenson Glacier |
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Location of Heard Island and McDonald Islands on the globe
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| Type | cirque/tidewater |
| Location | Heard Island Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands Australia |
| Coordinates | 53°6′S 73°42′E / 53.100°S 73.700°E |
| Thickness | approximately 55 m |
| Terminus | between Dovers Moraine and Stephenson Lagoon |
| Status | Retreating |
The Stephenson Glacier is a large sheet of ice found on Heard Island, which is a small island in the southern Indian Ocean. This glacier is located on the eastern side of the island. It sits just west of an area called Dovers Moraine.
The end of the Stephenson Glacier, called its terminus, is located between Dovers Moraine and a body of water known as Stephenson Lagoon. Some parts of the glacier also flow towards Doppler Hill and Sealers Beach.
There are other glaciers nearby too. To the north, you'll find the Brown Glacier, which ends at Brown Lagoon. To the southwest, there's the Winston Glacier, ending at Winston Lagoon, between Cape Lockyer and Oatt Rocks.
About Stephenson Glacier
Stephenson Glacier is a type of glacier that flows into the sea, also known as a tidewater glacier. It is also considered a cirque glacier, which means it forms in a bowl-shaped hollow on the side of a mountain.
This glacier is quite thick, measuring about 55 meters (or about 180 feet) deep in some places. Like many glaciers around the world, Stephenson Glacier is currently getting smaller, which means it is retreating.
How Stephenson Glacier Got Its Name
Scientists first explored and mapped Stephenson Glacier in 1948. This work was done by a group called ANARE, which stands for the Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions.
Later, the glacier was officially named by the Antarctic Names Committee of Australia (ANCA). They chose to name it after P.J. Stephenson. He was a geologist who worked with ANARE on Heard Island in 1963, studying the land and rocks.
- To see a map of Heard Island and McDonald Islands, including its main features, you can click here.
This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Geological Survey document "Stephenson Glacier" (content from the Geographic Names Information System). Lua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
