Barwick Valley

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Valley in Antarctica

title: "Barwick Valley" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["valleys-of-victoria-land", "mcmurdo-dry-valleys", "antarctic-specially-protected-areas"] description: "Valley in Antarctica" topic_path: "general/valleys-of-victoria-land" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barwick_Valley" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Valley in Antarctica ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox valley"]

FieldValue
nameBarwick Valley
mapAntarctica
map_size180
locationAntarctica
coordinates
elevation
::

| name = Barwick Valley | photo = | photo_caption = | map = Antarctica | map_size = 180 | map_caption = | location = Antarctica | coordinates = | elevation = | elevation_m = | elevation_ft = | elevation_ref = | direction = | length = | width = | area = | depth = | type = | watercourses = Barwick Valley () is an ice-free valley north of Apocalypse Peaks, extending from Webb Glacier to Victoria Valley in Victoria Land, Antarctica. A large part of the valley has been designated an Antarctic Specially Protected Area because of its pristine condition.

Naming

Barwick Valley was named by the Victoria University of Wellington Antarctic Expedition (VUWAE) (1958–59) for Richard Essex Barwick (1929-2012), summer biologist with the New Zealand party of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition (1956–58) who worked in this area in 1957–58 and as a member of the VUWAE, 1958–59.

Location

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/C77198s1_Ant.Map_Taylor_Glacier.jpg" caption="Barwick Valley towards the north of mapped region"] ::

The Barwick Valley is one of the McMurdo Dry Valleys. It runs southeast from the Webb Icefall to the Insel Range, where it is joined from the southwest by Balham Valley. The combined valley continues east to Victoria Valley. To the north the valley is bounded by The Fortress and other features of the Cruzen Range (formerly part of the Clare Range). To the west and southwest it is bounded by Mount Bastion, Gibson Spur and the Apocalypse Peaks of the Willett Range, and to the southeast by the Insel Range.

Antarctic Specially Protected Area

The greater part of the Barwick Valley was designated Antarctic Site of Special Scientific Interest No.3 under the Antarctic Treaty System, covering about 325 km2 between the Olympus Range to the south, Willett Range to the east and Clare Range to the north. It contained parts of several glaciers, a lake about 3 by connected by a stream to Lake Vashka, and exposed soils. This designation expired on 30 June 1981.

An area of 480 km2, comprising parts of both Barwick Valley and the adjacent Balham Valley, is now protected under the Antarctic Treaty System as Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA) No.123 because it is one of the least disturbed or contaminated of the McMurdo Dry Valleys. It is consequently important as a reference base for measuring changes in the similar polar desert ecosystems of the other Dry Valleys where scientific investigations are conducted.

Tributary valleys

A number of valleys run down into Barwick Valley from the surrounding mountains. From west to east:

Webb Cirque

Caffin Valley

Albert Valley

Papitashvili Valley

Hernandez Valley

LaBelle Valley

Berkey Valley

Other features

Webb Icefall

Webb Glacier

Walker Glacier

An attenuated glacier flowing northeast in Caffin Valley closely following the west side of Gibson Spur, Willett Range. The glacier terminates at Barwick Valley short of reaching the south flank of Webb Glacier. Named by the New Zealand Geographic Board (2005) after Barry Walker, a geologist with Victoria University's Antarctic Expeditions (VUWAE) to this area, 1979-80, 1981-82, and 1982-83; field leader for basement geology studies at Mount Bastion.

Haselton Glacier

A glacier flowing east-northeast between Gibson Spur and the Apocalypse Peaks, terminating as a hanging glacier at Barwick Valley. Named by US-ACAN (2005) in association with Haselton Icefall, a heavily crevassed upper part of the glacier.

Haselton Icefall

Webb Lake

Hourglass Lake

Lake Vashka

References

Sources

  • {{cite gnis2 |type=antarid| id=18722 |name=Albert Valley}}
  • {{citation|url=https://pubs.usgs.gov/fedgov/70039167/report.pdf |accessdate=2024-01-30 |edition=2 |editor-last=Alberts |title=Geographic Names of the Antarctic |editor-first=Fred G. |publisher=United States Board on Geographic Names |year=1995}}
  • {{citation |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/30611.pdf |accessdate=2024-02-19 |title=Antarctic Treaty Handbook: Antarctic Sites of Special Scientific Interest 1 to 16 |ref= }}
  • {{citation |url= http://www.ats.aq/documents/recatt/Att390_e.pdf |ref= |title=Barwick and Balham Valleys, Southern Victoria Land|access-date=2013-03-07 |work=Management Plan for Antarctic Specially Protected Area No. 123: Measure 6 |publisher=Antarctic Treaty Secretariat |year=2008}}
  • {{cite gnis2 |type=antarid| id=18726 |name=Berkey Valley}}
  • {{cite gnis2 |type=antarid| id=18740 |name=Haselton Glacier}}
  • {{cite gnis2 |type=antarid| id=18741 |name=Hernandez Valley}}
  • {{cite gnis2 |type=antarid| id=18747 |name=LaBelle Valley}}
  • {{cite gnis2 |type=antarid| id=18756 |name=Papitashvili Valley}}
  • {{citation |url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:C77198s1_Ant.Map_Taylor_Glacier.jpg |accessdate=2024-02-13 |title=Taylor Glacier |publisher=USGS: United States Geological Survey |ref= }}
  • {{cite gnis2 |type=antarid| id=18797 |name=Walker Glacier}}
  • {{cite gnis2 |type=antarid |id=18766 |name=Webb Cirque}}

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

valleys-of-victoria-landmcmurdo-dry-valleysantarctic-specially-protected-areas