Named Canyons of Antarctica: Glacial Troughs on a Frozen Continent

Antarctica's "canyons" are primarily **subglacial troughs** and **fjord-like valleys** carved by ice streams and outlet glaciers, many buried under kilometers of ice. Names derive from early explorers, scientists, and geographic features. Notable named canyons/valleys:

• Byrd Canyon — Ross Ice Shelf / Byrd Glacier region.
• Darwin Canyon — Darwin Glacier (Transantarctic Mts).
• Evans Canyon — Beardmore Glacier area.
• Ferrar Canyon — Ferrar Glacier (Royal Society Range).
• Goodspeed Canyon — Skelton Glacier / Hillary Coast.
• Hood Canyon — David Glacier / Drygalski Ice Tongue.
• Jaeger Canyon — Reedy Glacier (Horlick Mts).
• Joubin Canyon — Byrd Glacier tributary.
• Koettlitz Canyon — Koettlitz Glacier (McMurdo Sound).
• Le Couteur Canyon — Nimrod Glacier.
• MacAlpine Canyon — Beardmore Glacier.
• McNeish Canyon — Shackleton Glacier.
• Miller Canyon — Byrd Glacier.
• Odell Canyon — Nimrod Glacier.
• Priscu Canyon — Taylor Valley (McMurdo Dry Valleys) — **ice-free**, ephemeral streams.
• Robertson Canyon — Byrd Glacier.
• Skelton Canyon — Skelton Glacier (Hillary Coast).
• Taylor Canyon — Taylor Glacier / Taylor Valley (Blood Falls).
• Wright Canyon — Wright Valley (McMurdo Dry Valleys) — **Labyrinth** (maze of canyons), Don Juan Pond (hypersaline).

Key Context

• Most are **subglacial** — mapped by radar (BEDMAP, ICECAP, ICEBRIDGE).
• McMurdo Dry Valleys (Taylor, Wright, Victoria) are **ice-free** (<100 mm precip/yr) — expose canyon geology directly. UNESCO ASPA.
• Names honor **Heroic Age explorers** (Scott, Shackleton, Byrd, Amundsen parties) and **modern scientists** (Priscu, Jaeger, etc.).
• **Largest:** **Byrd Glacier trough** — 150 km long, 20 km wide, 2,500 m deep (below sea level).

These canyons are **conduits for ice flow** from East Antarctic Ice Sheet to Ross Ice Shelf — critical for sea-level rise models.