Liv Glacier

Liv Glacier (-84.91667°N, -168°W) is a steep valley glacier, 40 nmi long, emerging from the Antarctic Plateau just southeast of Barnum Peak and draining north through the Queen Maud Mountains to enter Ross Ice Shelf between Mayer Crags and Duncan Mountains. It was discovered in 1911 by Roald Amundsen, who named it for the daughter of Fridtjof Nansen.

Richard E. Byrd chose this glacier as his route to the Polar Plateau on 28 November 1929 when he flew from Little America to the South Pole.

Location


According to Sailing Directions for Antarctica (1960), "The Liv Glacier (85° S. 168° W.) reaches the Ross Ice Shelf on the western side of the Duncan Mountains. It is about 7 miles wide and trends southward about 40 miles to the polar plateau. The Fisher Mountains rise prominently forming the western wall, and the massif of Mount Fridtjof Nansen, about 13,156 feet high, forms the eastern flank of the Liv Glacier. The northern slopes of this sandstone and granite massif were investigated by Gould in 1929, and coal beds found. Many tributary or dendritic glaciers feed the Liv Glacier from the heights of the bordering mountains."

The head of Liv Glacier is on the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, where it passes through Hump Passage. The glacier flow north, and near its head is joined by the LaVergne Glacier. It turn northeast, and flows on both sides past McKinley Nunatak, June Nunatak and Aviator Nunatak. Opposite June Nunatak it is joined from the left (northwest) by DeGanahl Glacier. Further down it is joined from the left by Zotikov Glacier, then from the right by Somero Glacier. It flows into the Ross Ice Shelf between Mount Henson to the northwest and Morris Peak to the southeast.

Hump Passage
-85.45°N, -170.2°W. A wide gap just southeast of Barnum Peak, through which Liv Glacier emerges from the polar plateau. It was originally referred to as the "Hump" by Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd and is the pass over which he made his historic South Pole flight of 1929. The feature was observed by the Southern Party of NZGSAE (1961-62) who recommended perpetuation of a form of the original name.

Nunataks
The three nunataks in Liv Glacier are, from south to north,

McKinley Nunatak
-85.3°N, -170.05°W. The southernmost of three large nunataks in upper Liv Glacier, about 5 nmi north-north-east of Barnum Peak. Named by the Southern Party of the NZGSAE (1961-62) for Capt. Ashley C. McKinley, photographer with R. Admiral Richard E. Byrd on his South Pole flight of 1929.

June Nunatak
-85.23333°N, -169.48333°W. The central of three nunataks in mid-stream of the upper Liv Glacier, standing about 4 nmi southeast of Mount Wells, in the Queen Maud Mountains. Named by the Southern Party of the NZGSAE (1961-62) for Harold June, aviator and engineer on the South Pole flight of R. Admiral Richard E. Byrd in 1929.

Aviator Nunatak
-85.18333°N, -168.96667°W. The northernmost of three large nunataks in the upper Liv Glacier, standing 4 nmi east of Mount Wells. Named by the Southern Party of the NZGSAE (1961–62) for the aviators of R. Admiral Richard E. Byrd's flight to the South Pole in 1929.

LaVergne Glacier
-85.31667°N, -170.75°W. A tributary glacier about 7 nmi long, flowing east along the south slopes of Seabee Heights to enter Liv Glacier close southwest of McKinley Nunatak. Named by US-ACAN for Lt. Cdr. Cornelius B. de LaVergne, Deputy Commander of Antarctic Support Activity at McMurdo Station during USN OpdFrz 1961.

DeGanahl Glacier
-85.21667°N, -170.58333°W. A narrow, steep-walled glacier about 10 nmi long, flowing southeast from Jones Peak into the west side of Liv Glacier, opposite June Nunatak. Discovered and photographed by R. Admiral Byrd on the South Pole Flight in November 1929 and named for Joe DeGanahl, navigator and dog driver and member of the Supporting Party, ByrdAE, 1928-30.

Zotikov Glacier
-85.03333°N, -169.25°W. A tributary glacier, 8 nmi long, flowing northeast from Mount Fisher in the Prince Olav Mountains and entering Liv Glacier just east of Hardiman Peak. Named by US-ACAN for Igor A. Zotikov, Soviet exchange scientist to the USARP at McMurdo Station in 1965.

Somero Glacier
-85°N, -167.2°W. A tributary glacier 7 nmi long, flowing northwest from Mount Fairweather to enter Liv Glacier just south of the west end of the Duncan Mountains. Named by US-ACAN for George N. Somero, USARP biologist at McMurdo Station, 1963-64, and winter 1965.