The Ford Ranges (77°0′S 144°0′W / 77.000°S 144.000°W / -77.000; -144.000 (Ford Ranges)) are a collection of mountain groups and ranges standing east of Sulzberger Ice Shelf and Block Bay in the northwest part of Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica.[1]

Ford Ranges
Aerial view of north side of Fosdick Mountains
Geography
Ford Ranges is located in Antarctica
Ford Ranges
ContinentAntarctica
AreaMarie Byrd Land
Range coordinates77°0′S 144°0′W / 77.000°S 144.000°W / -77.000; -144.000 (Ford Ranges)

Location

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The Ford Ranges lie along the coast of Marie Byrd Land to the south and east of the Sulzberger Ice Shelf and to the east of Block Bay. The ranges and major glaciers are, from southwest to northeast, Hershey Ridge, Haines Mountains, Hammond Glacier, Swope Glacier, Mackay Mountains, Boyd Glacier, Sarnoff Mountains, Allegheny Mountains, Clark Mountains, Arthur Glacier, Denfeld Mountains, Crevasse Valley Glacier, Chester Mountains, Fosdick Mountains, Balchen Glacier and Phillips Mountains. [2][3]

A 1945 report defines the Southern Ford Ranges as the ranges between McKinley Peak and the Balchen Glacier, which excludes the Phillips Mountains. They cover an area of about 7,000 square miles (18,000 km2). This portion of the mountainous coastland of Marie Byrd Land is one of the few areas in Antarctica where there are enough rock outcrops to make it practical to undertake geological mapping.[4] A 1991 report defines the Northern Ford Ranges as including the Phillips, Fosdick and Chester Mountains. The Fosdick Mountains contain high-grade metamorphic rocks, while the Phillips and Chester Mountains have outcroppings of plutonic rocks. The Devonian Ford granodiorite is found in the Phillips, Chester and Denfield Mountains. The Cretaceous Byrd Coast granite is found throughout the Ford Ranges.[5]

Discovery and name

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The Ford Ranges were discovered by the Byrd Antarctic Expedition (ByrdAE) on December 5, 1929. They were named by Richard E. Byrd for Edsel Ford of the Ford Motor Company, who helped finance the expedition.[1]

Glaciers

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Northern ranges

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Northern part of Ford Ranges, to the east

The northern mountain ranges and groups are, from north to south

Southern ranges

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Southern part of Ford Ranges

The southern mountain ranges and groups are, from west to east,

References

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  1. ^ a b Alberts 1995, p. 251.
  2. ^ Boyd Glacier USGS.
  3. ^ Guest Peninsula USGS.
  4. ^ Warner 1945, p. 78.
  5. ^ Luyendyk et al. 1991, p. 37.
  6. ^ Alberts 1995, p. 308.
  7. ^ Alberts 1995, p. 729.
  8. ^ Alberts 1995, p. 86.
  9. ^ Alberts 1995, p. 29.
  10. ^ Alberts 1995, pp. 161–162.
  11. ^ Alberts 1995, p. 41.
  12. ^ Alberts 1995, pp. 573–574.
  13. ^ Alberts 1995, p. 253.
  14. ^ Alberts 1995, p. 132.
  15. ^ Alberts 1995, p. 331.
  16. ^ Alberts 1995, p. 305.
  17. ^ Alberts 1995, p. 452.
  18. ^ Alberts 1995, p. 649.
  19. ^ Alberts 1995, p. 13.
  20. ^ Alberts 1995, p. 138.
  21. ^ Alberts 1995, p. 183.

Sources

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  • Alberts, Fred G., ed. (1995), Geographic Names of the Antarctic (PDF) (2 ed.), United States Board on Geographic Names, retrieved 2023-12-03   This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Board on Geographic Names.
  • Boyd Glacier, USGS: United States Geological Survey, retrieved 2024-03-25
  • Guest Peninsula, USGS: United States Geological Survey, retrieved 2024-03-25
  • Luyendyk, Bruce P.; Richard, Steve M.; Smith, Christine; Kimbrough, David L. (1991), "Geological and geophysical investigations in the northern Ford Ranges, Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica" (PDF), Antarctic Journal, retrieved 2024-03-29
  • Warner, Lawrence A. (30 April 1945), "Structure and Petrography of the Southern Edsel Ford Ranges, Antarctica", Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, 89.1 (Reports on Scientific Results of the United States Antarctic Service Expedition, 1939–1941): 78–122, retrieved 2024-03-29