Well, it isn't mine really -- but I do feel possessive about it, and want to protect it........
It'e a few years now since I was informed officially that a glacier in the Schmidt Hills in the Pensacola Range of Antarctica had been named after me -- "given your long and distinguished career in the field of geomorphology..." So John Glacier it is.
It's quite a small glacier, about 10 km long, flowing through the Washington Escarpment and carrying ice mostly derived from the East Antarctic ice sheet. It's unusual in that there is an ice-covered meltwater lake at the point where the ice decants from its containing trough and flows off westwards through a broad basin.
I have been trying to get some photos, without success, but this is the sort of landscape we are talking about.
Are you sure that you have not be duped and that they haven't said similar to any half famous geographer/geologist/glacierologist(?) with John as a first or surname. They should have added Cilgwyn or Carn Ingli after it.
ReplyDeleteMore seriously though,congratulations, having a hulking big glacier named after you is so much better than having some miniscule, and difficult to spot star, carry your name.
They do assure me that the name is mine -- but sure, there are quite a few geologists and geomorphologists who have been "honoured" by having peaks, ridges, valleys and glaciers named after them. There's a lot of newly mapped territory down there in need of place names! But the process is actually quite protracted and formalised -- and has to be agreed by an international place-name panel.
ReplyDeleteQuite agree -- much nicer than having a grotty little galaxy a billion miles away named after one..........