Other formats

    Adobe Portable Document Format file (facsimile images)   TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

Victoria University Antarctic Research Expedition Science and Logistics Reports 1968-69: VUWAE 13

Geographic setting of the Skelton Névé and Boomerang Range area

Geographic setting of the Skelton Névé and Boomerang Range area

The Skelton Névé may be regarded as a large ice basin separated from the inland plateau on the west by a string of ranges and nunataks and bounded on the east by the Royal Society and Worcester Ranges. The major entry of ice occurs through The Portal and over adjacent ice falls; the major outlet through the Skelton Glacier to the Ross Ice Shelf. There are also direct connections to the Mulock and Ferrar Glaciers to the south and north respectively. The Skelton Névé is approximately fifty miles long in a NE-SW direction, and thirty miles wide in NW-SE direction. The névé attains its highest elevation of around 1600 to 2000 metres in the north (in the region of The Portal) but drops progressively westwards and southwestwards to about 1200 metres. The western and southwestern portion of the névé receives little snow or ice and shows all the signs of progressive stagnation and retreat, leaving a series of lateral moraines along the sides of page 13 emergent nunataks and ranges. An undulating relief is characteristic of the whole névé, although this is more pronounced close to rock exposures. The surface is for the most part hard rippled ice or hard sastrugi, soft snow surfaces being confined mostly to the eastern part of the névé. The Boomerang Range, Warren Range, and Portal Mountain are the major topographic features on the western border of the Skelton Névé. The eastern sides of these features are steep and rise to a height of several thousand feet above the névé surface. The eastern faces have been modified by small alpine glaciers, most of which have now retreated to leave wide aprons of terminal moraine. Excellent moraine-free rock exposures are available on the eastern faces of these ranges. The western faces take the form of low slopes |which are usually covered with ice or snow.