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Beardmore Glacier
Beardmore Glacier, central Antarctica.
Beardmore Glacier
glacier, Antarctica
Beardmore Glacier, glacier in central Antarctica, descending about 7,200 ft (2,200 m) from the South Polar Plateau to Ross Ice Shelf, dividing the Transantarctic Mountains of Queen Maud and Queen Alexandra. One of the worldâs largest known valley glaciers, it is 125 mi (200 km) long and is 25 mi in width.
What are glaciers? Ask a glaciologistGlaciologist Bethan Davies explains the science behind glaciers and how glaciers are a window into Earth's changing climate. Plus: Are there glaciers on other planets?
See all videos for this articleThe British explorers Ernest Henry Shackleton (1908) and Robert Scott (1911) discovered the glacier on their route to the South Pole. Later scientific research found the glacier and the mountains to either side to contain petrified wood and fossils of dinosaurs, mammal-like reptiles, ferns, and coralâevidence of a time when Antarctica possessed a temperate climate.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Meg Matthias.
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