Taylor Valley
Taylor Valley is an ice-free valley in Victoria Land, Antarctica. It runs about 33 kilometers (21 miles) long, between the Taylor Glacier and New Harbour, and lies north of the Kukri Hills. It is the southernmost of the three McMurdo Dry Valleys, a group of very dry valleys west of McMurdo Sound.
The valley was discovered by the British National Antarctic Expedition (1901–04) and later explored by the British Antarctic Expeditions of 1907–09 and 1910–13. It is named after the Taylor Glacier.
Geology: The visible rock layers are sandstone from the Beacon Supergroup, formed when the area was at the bottom of a shallow sea about 250 to 400 million years ago, during the time of Gondwana. A dark dolerite sill cuts through the sandstone, evidence of a large volcanic system about 180 million years ago that helped break up Gondwana.
Features: The valley contains several lakes, including Lake Bonney, Lake Fryxell, and Lake Chad, along with ridges and many meltwater streams. Glaciers descend toward the valley floor from the surrounding mountains, such as Suess Glacier, Commonwealth Glacier, Matterhorn Glacier, Lacroix Glacier, and others. The landscape is renowned for its extreme dryness and striking, otherworldly scenery.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 23:34 (CET).