Search Antarctic Names

Named after the Australasian Antarctic Expedition (AAE) led by Dr Douglas (later Sir Douglas) Mawson in 1912-14, of which the name is an acronym of the expedition title. The expedition was the first to be conducted on the Antarctic Continent purely for the furthering of scientific knowledge and was also the first mounted by personnel from Australia and New Zealand. The expedition was described by the British author J. Gordon Hayes in 1928 as being the "... greatest and most consummate expedition that ever sailed for Antarctica" and by the leader of Scottish National Expedition to Graham Land in 1902-04 (William Spiers Bruce) as "... the most successful of any recent Antarctic Expedition".

A group of ten or more small islands, 1-3 km west of Proclamation Island, Enderby Land. Discovered on 13 January, 1930, by BANZARE (1929-31) under Sir Douglas Mawson, who named them after Bjarne Aagaard, Norwegian Antarctic historian.

This bay, immediately to the north of Davis station, supports large populations of all five Abatus species, and is typical of the sort of soft substrate habitat that occurs throughout the Prydz Bay/Davis region.

A glacier on the west coast of Heard Island between Walsh Bluff and Henderson Bluff.

The lake, in the Vestfold Hills, with a maximum depth of 19 m, is a sparkling blue color. It contains at least 3 species of small crustacea and some unusual algae.

A small island about 1 km across, just east of the Øygarden Group.

A rocky point on the western side of Edward VIII Gulf in Kemp Land. The feature was first visited by an ANARE sledging party led by Robert Dovers in 1954.

A narrow ice slope bordered by the Darwin Mountains on the southern side and by an exposed ice buttress on the northern side. This ice slope forms part of the Circle Icefall in the Darwin Glacier and appears to be the only route through the icefall. This descriptive name was given by the Darwin Glacier Party of the TAE (1956-58), who made the first descent of the Darwin Glacier.

A lake on Long Peninsula, Vestfold Hills. This saline lake was investigated by biologists from Davis in 1974 who had spent nine months searching for a saline lake containing copepods and finding them in this lake, considered it a winner, an 'ace'.

An island about 2 km long, in the west of the Øygarden Group. Mapped by Norwegian cartographers from air photographs taken by the Lars Christensen Expedition (1936-37) and called Utx (Outer Island).

A bluff in the Holyoake Range, at the head of the Errant Glacier, 15 km south-east of Mount Hunt; Plotted by the U.S. Geological Survey from air photographs taken by the US Navy in 1960-62. Named by USACAN after P.L. Adams, meteorologist at Byrd Station in 1961-62 and 1962-63 and McMurdo Station in 1963-64 and 1964-65.

A fjord, 11 km long which extends eastwards from the north-east part of Amundsen Bay, just south of Mount Riiser-Larsen. Photographed and mapped from ANARE aircraft during 1956. An ANARE party led by Phillip Law entered the Fjord by launch from the Thala Dan on 14 February, 1958 landing at the foot of Mt. Riiser-Larsen. Named after Ian L. Adams, Officer-in-Charge at Mawson in 1958.

A triangular low lying, relatively flat area of approximately 4 square kilometres of sediment-filled glacial valley and occasional rocky outcrops near Davis station.

A glacier about 19 km wide flowing north-west into the eastern side of the head of Vincennes Bay off the Budd Coast, Wilkes Land. Delineated from air photographs taken by USN Operation Highjump (1946-47). Named by USACAN after John Quincey Adams, sixth President of the United States of America.

A small rocky island on the western side of McDonald Bay, about 20 km west of Haswell Island, off the coast of Queen Mary Land; Discovered by the AAE (1911-14) under Sir Douglas Mawson, who named it after the boat-swain of the expedition ship, SY Aurora.

A bay in the Vestfold Hills on the northern side of Crooked Fjord just to the west of Lake Burton and south of Mule Peninsula. The bay is ice covered in winter and often ice free in summer.

Small peak on the Mitchell Peninsula south of Casey station.

Adamson Spur in Pagodroma Gorge is not a major feature. However, it clearly exhibits important geometric relationships between the present day gorge profile and the Bardin Bluffs Formation. Don Adamson discovered these exposures, and emphasized their importance to the understanding of the glacial history of the region. Adamson Spur will continue to be visited and discussed by both current and future researchers. Named for: Professor Dr. D.A. Adamson (died 2002) (1) Professor of Biological Sciences at Macquarie University. (2) Spent several field seasons researching the histories of the various ice-free terrains of the Australian Antarctic Territory (Bunger Hills, Vestfold Hills, Amery Oasis). (3) Published at least two major research publications on the Radok Lake- Pagodroma Gorge-Beaver Lake area of the Amery Oasis.

A cove on the western side of Wireless Hill on Macquarie Island.

A glacier flowing eastwards from the vicinity of Mount Massam to the Starshot Glacier. Discovered by the N.Z. Geological Expedition (1964-65).