Ashton Glacier is a glacier

Glacier

A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...

 9 miles (14.5 km) long, which flows east-southeast from Mount Thompson

Mount Thompson (Antarctica)

Mount Thompson is a mountain, high, standing north-west of Lehrke Inlet and surmounting the central part of the base of Eielson Peninsula, on the east coast of Palmer Land. It was discovered by the Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition, 1947–48, under Finn Ronne, who named this feature for...

 to the northwest side of Lehrke Inlet

Lehrke Inlet

Lehrke Inlet is an ice-filled inlet, 8 nautical miles wide, which recedes southwest for 17 nautical miles between Cape Boggs and Cape Sharbonneau, along the east coast of Palmer Land. Discovered by members of the United States Antarctic Service who explored this coast on land and from the air...

, on the east coast of Palmer Land

Palmer Land

Palmer Land is that portion of the Antarctic Peninsula which lies south of a line joining Cape Jeremy and Cape Agassiz. This application of Palmer Land is consistent with the 1964 agreement between US-ACAN and UK-APC, in which the name Antarctic Peninsula was approved for the major peninsula of...

. The glacier was photographed from the air in December 1940 by the United States Antarctic Service (USAS), and was probably seen by the USAS ground survey party which explored this coast. A joint party consisting of members of the Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition

Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition

The Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition was an expedition from 1947-1948 which researched the area surrounding the head of the Weddell Sea in Antarctica.-Background:...

 and the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS) charted the glacier in 1947. It was named by the FIDS for L. Ashton, carpenter with the FIDS at the Port Lockroy

Port Lockroy

Port Lockroy is a natural harbour on the Antarctic Peninsula of the British Antarctic Territory. After its discovery in 1904 by the French Antarctic Expedition it was used for whaling between 1911 and 1931 and British military operations during World War II and then continued to operate as a...

 and Hope Bay

Hope Bay

Hope Bay on Trinity Peninsula, is long and wide, indenting the tip of Antarctic Peninsula and opening on Antarctic Sound....

bases in 1944–45 and 1945–46, respectively.