Vahsel Glacier facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Vahsel 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°04′S 73°23′E / 53.067°S 73.383°E |
| Thickness | approximately 55 meters |
| Terminus | South West Bay, between Erratic Point and Cape Gazert |
| Status | Retreating |
Vahsel Glacier is a large river of ice found on Heard Island, a remote island in the southern Indian Ocean. This glacier is located on the northwestern side of the island. It slowly moves west and empties into a part of the ocean called South West Bay. It flows between two points on the coast, named Erratic Point and Cape Gazert.
Where is Vahsel Glacier?
Vahsel Glacier is surrounded by other glaciers. To its north, you'll find the Schmidt Glacier. The Schmidt Glacier ends between Mount Drygalski and North West Cornice. To the south of Vahsel Glacier is the Allison Glacier. Cape Gazert acts like a natural border, separating Vahsel Glacier from Allison Glacier. You can see a map of Vahsel Glacier and the nearby coast of Heard Island here.
How Vahsel Glacier Was Discovered and Named
Vahsel Glacier was first mapped in 1902. This happened during the Gauss expedition, which was a German exploration trip to Antarctica led by Erich von Drygalski. On February 3, 1902, a group from the expedition landed on Heard Island near a place called Atlas Cove.
Drygalski decided to name the glacier after Richard Vahsel. Vahsel was an officer on the Gauss expedition. He was part of the landing team and explored the area near Atlas Cove. Later, Vahsel became the captain of a ship named Deutschland, which was used by another explorer, Wilhelm Filchner. Sadly, Richard Vahsel passed away in August 1912 while the Deutschland was drifting at sea.
- You can view a map of Heard Island and McDonald Islands, showing all the main land features, by clicking here.
This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Geological Survey document "Vahsel Glacier" (content from the Geographic Names Information System). Lua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
