Mount Kirkpatrick

Mount Kirkpatrick (-84.33333°N, 166.41667°W) is a lofty, generally ice-free mountain in Queen Alexandra Range 5 nmi west of Mount Dickerson. At 4528 m it is the highest point in the Queen Alexandra Range, Antarctica.

Exploration and name
Mount Kirkpatrick was discovered and named by the British Antarctic Expedition, 1907–1909. It was named for a Glasgow businessman, who was one of the original supporters of the expedition.

Location
Mount Kirkpatrick is in the central Queen Alexandra Range to the south of Grindley Plateau, north of the Adams Mountains and northeast of the Marshall Mountains. Prebble Glacier forms on its west slopes and flows west to Lennox-King Glacier. Mount Dickerson is to its east and Decennial Peak to its south. Martin Ridge extends southwest from Decennial Peak to the head of Berwick Glacier.

Fossil site
Mount Kirkpatrick holds one of the most important fossil sites in Antarctica, the Hanson Formation. Because Antarctica used to be warmer and supported dense conifer and cycad forest, and because all the continents were fused into a giant supercontinent called Pangaea, many ancient Antarctic wildlife share relatives elsewhere in the world. Among these creatures are tritylodonts, herbivorous mammal-like reptiles that are prevalent elsewhere at the time. A crow-sized pterosaur has been identified. In addition to these finds, numerous dinosaur remains have been uncovered. Fossils of dinosaurs resembling Plateosaurus, Coelophysis, and Dilophosaurus were excavated. Mount Kirkpatrick holds the first dinosaur scientifically named on the continent: the large predatory Cryolophosaurus. In 2004, scientists have even found partial remains of a large sauropod plant-eating dinosaur.

Glacialisaurus hammeri, an herbivorous dinosaur thought to be around 25 ft long and weighing perhaps 4-6 tons, was also identified from fossils on Mount Kirkpatrick in 2007, the only known site of Glacialisaurus hammeri.

Features
Nearby features include:



Fleming Summit
-84.33333°N, 166.3°W. A peak rising to over 4,200 m high, 1.5 km west of Mount Kirkpatrick. Named by the United States Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN) in 1995 after Thomas H. Fleming, geologist, Ohio State University, who conducted field research in this area, 1985-86 and 1990-91.

Mount Dickerson
-84.33333°N, 167.13333°W. A prominent mountain, 4,120 m high, standing 4 nmi east of Mount Kirkpatrick. Named by the US-ACAN for Lieutenant Commander Richard G. Dickerson, United States Navy, VX-6 aircraft commander during United States Navy Operation Deep Freeze, 1964.

Decennial Peak
-84.36667°N, 166.03333°W. A peak 4,020 m high situated 3 nmi southwest of Mount Kirkpatrick. Mapped by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) from surveys and United States Navy air photos, 1958-65. Named by US-ACAN in recognition of the Decennial of the Institute of Polar Studies, Ohio State University, in 1970, the same year the University celebrated its Centennial. The University and the Institute have been very active in Antarctic investigations since 1960.

Martin Ridge
-84.41667°N, 165.5°W. A broad ice-covered ridge bordering the west side of upper Moody Glacier. Named by US-ACAN for Major Wilbur E. Martin, United States Army, in charge of trail operations during United States Navy Operation Deep Freeze, 1963.