Transantarctic Mountains in the context of "East Antarctica"

79°S 100°W / 79°S 100°W / -79; -100

West Antarctica, or Lesser Antarctica, one of the two major regions of Antarctica, is the part of that continent that lies within the Western Hemisphere, and includes the Antarctic Peninsula. It is separated from East Antarctica by the Transantarctic Mountains and is covered by the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. It lies between the Ross Sea (partly covered by the Ross Ice Shelf), and the Weddell Sea (largely covered by the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf). It may be considered a giant peninsula, stretching from the South Pole towards the tip of South America.

80°S 60°E / 80°S 60°E / -80; 60

The East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) lies between 45° west and 168° east longitudinally. It was first formed around 34 million years ago, and it is the largest ice sheet on the entire planet, with far greater volume than the Greenland ice sheet or the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS), from which it is separated by the Transantarctic Mountains. The ice sheet is around 2.2 km (1.4 mi) thick on average and is 4,897 m (16,066 ft) at its thickest point. It is also home to the geographic South Pole, South Magnetic Pole and the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station.

78°44′03″S 133°16′41″W / 78.73417°S 133.27806°W / -78.73417; -133.27806

The West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) is the segment of the continental ice sheet that covers West Antarctica, the portion of Antarctica on the side of the Transantarctic Mountains that lies in the Western Hemisphere. It is classified as a marine-based ice sheet, meaning that its bed lies well below sea level and its edges flow into floating ice shelves. The WAIS is bounded by the Ross Ice Shelf, the Ronne Ice Shelf, and outlet glaciers that drain into the Amundsen Sea.

77°28′S 162°31′E / 77.467°S 162.517°E / -77.467; 162.517

The McMurdo Dry Valleys are a series of largely snow-free desert valleys on the continental coastline of Victoria Land, Antarctica, east of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet and west of McMurdo Sound and the Ross Sea. The Dry Valleys are notable for being the coldest and driest desert in the world, as well as being the largest ice-free region in Antarctica; as a result, the Valleys have become a notable hotbed for scientific research in the Antarctic region. The Dry Valleys' unique climate is due to their location nestled within the Transantarctic Mountains along with high-pressure katabatic winds that scour away snowfall and humidity across the region. Surrounding mountains prevent the flow of ice from nearby glaciers. The region's geology is primarily granites and gneisses, and glacial tills dot the bedrock landscape, with loose gravel covering the ground. The Valleys are one of the driest places on Earth, though there are several anecdotal accounts of rainfall within the Dry Valleys.