Lambert Glacier

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An icefall feeding into the Lambert Glacier, Antarctica.

Coordinates: 71°0′S 70°0′E / -71, 70 Lambert Glacier is a major glacier in Antarctica. At about 60 miles (96km) wide, over 250 miles (400 km) long, and about 2,500 meters deep, it holds the Guinness world record for the world's biggest glacier. It drains a large area to the east and south of the Prince Charles Mountains and flows northward to the Amery Ice Shelf. This glacier was delineated and named in 1952 by American geographer John H. Roscoe who made a detailed study of this area from aerial photographs taken by USN Operation Highjump, 1946-47. He gave the name "Baker Three Glacier", using the code name of the Navy photographic aircraft and crew that made three flights in this coastal area in March 1947 resulting in geographic discoveries. The glacier was described in Gazetteer No. 14, Geographic Names of Antarctica (U.S. Board on Geographic Names, 1956), but the feature did not immediately appear on published maps. As a result the name Lambert Glacier, it applied by ANCA in 1957 following mapping of the area by ANARE (Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions) in 1956, has become established for this feature. Named for Bruce P. Lambert, Director of National Mapping in the Australian Department of National Development. It is also part of Lambert Grabens.

This NASA image showing glacier velocities on the Lambert Glacier has a box added to show the location of the area shown in the other photograph.

The famous photo reproduced here (above) shows a small tributary right-flank glacier flowing down from the ice-covered East Antarctic Plateau, flanked by slower-moving ice flowing down over a steep escarpment. The ice-fall which so impressively illustrates the flow characteristics of glacier ice is only about 6 km wide, and Lambert Glacier proper is off the bottom right corner of the photo. The ice here is flowing at about 500m per year, but velocities of over 1200m per year are known at the edge of the Amery Ice Shelf, which is fed by this gigantic stream of ice.

On the lower photo north is at the bottom, and the ice velocities are approx as follows:

Brown areas -- up to 50m per year. Green areas -- up to 250m per year. Blue areas -- up to 500m per year. Purple areas -- around 1000m per year. Red area -- up to 1200m per year.