Nimitz Glacier

Nimitz Glacier
Nimitz Glacier
	Location of Ellsworth Mountains in Western Antarctica
	Location of Nimitz Glacier in Antarctica
Type	tributary
Location	Ellsworth Land
Coordinates	78°55′00″S 85°10′00″W / 78.91667°S 85.16667°W
Length	40 nautical miles (74 km; 46 mi)
Width	5 nautical miles (9.3 km; 5.8 mi)
Thickness	unknown
Terminus	Minnesota Glacier
Status	unknown

The Nimitz Glacier is an Antarctic glacier, 40 nautical miles (74 km; 46 mi) long and 5 nautical miles (9.3 km; 5.8 mi) wide, draining the area about 10 nautical miles (19 km; 12 mi) west of the Vinson Massif and flowing southeast between the Sentinel Range and Bastien Range to enter Minnesota Glacier, in the central Ellsworth Mountains.^[1]

Discovered by USN Squadron VX-6 on photographic flights of 14–15 December 1959, and mapped by United States Geological Survey from these photos. Named by US-ACAN for Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz, USN, who as Chief of Naval Operations at the time of Operation Highjump, 1946–1947, made possible that unprecedentedly large Antarctic expedition.^[2]

Tributary glaciers

Maps

Vinson Massif. Scale 1:250 000 topographic map. Reston, Virginia: US Geological Survey, 1988.
D. Gildea and C. Rada. Vinson Massif and the Sentinel Range. Scale 1:50 000 topographic map. Omega Foundation, 2007.
Antarctic Digital Database (ADD). Scale 1:250000 topographic map of Antarctica. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR). Since 1993, regularly updated.

References

↑ "Geographical Names, map, geographic coordinates". geographic.org. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
↑ Headland, Robert (1989). Chronological List of Antarctic Expeditions and Related Historical Events. Cambridge University Press. p. 314. Retrieved 12 November 2024. Established 26 August 1946 by... Chester W. Nimitz, the expedition (Operation "Highjump" was primarily a naval training exercise and the largest exploratory venture hitherto attempted in Antarctica.