Alatna Valley
Alatna Valley is an ice-free valley in Antarctica’s Convoy Range, located just north of Mount Gran and southeast of Staten Island Heights. It runs roughly east-northeast for about 19 kilometers along the valley’s southeast side. The valley was studied by U.S. geologist Parker Calkin in 1960–61 and was named in 1963 for the USNS Alatna, a ship that served in Operation Deep Freeze.
Several glaciers interact with the valley. Benson Glacier flows east from the end of the valley into Mackay Glacier, while Gran Glacier flows south into Mackay Glacier. A broad, high-elevation glacier occupies much of the valley floor; for years it was thought to be part of Benson Glacier, but a 1989–90 NZARP survey showed it to be a distinct glacier, so Benson Glacier now refers only to the ice flowing east to Granite Harbor. A few other named ice features include an abrupt glacier descending from Mount Gunn, an alpine glacier feeding the valley from Staten Island Heights, and a large mountain glacier draining Staten Island Heights and Mount Razorback.
On the valley floor there are two frozen ponds in a nautical-themed group. Rum Pond, the site of a 1960–61 US Antarctic Program party, is the best known. Nearby are two more ponds linked to Rum Pond, one larger to the east and one smaller to the west, reflecting the same nautical naming theme.
Katabatic winds from the high névé drive snow and ice down into Alatna Valley, creating distinctive wind-driven ice features.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 00:06 (CET).