Midship Glacier is a broad flat 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...

 filling the bulk of Alatna Valley

Alatna Valley

Alatna Valley is an ice-free valley lying north of Mount Gran and trending east-northeast for about along the southeast side of the Convoy Range. It is one of the northernmost of the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Parker Calkin, U.S. geologist, made stratigraphic studies in the valley during the...

 and having its origin on the slopes of Mount Morrison

Mount Morrison (Victoria Land)

Mount Morrison is a mountain, 1,895 m, standing between Midship Glacier and the head of Cleveland Glacier a in Prince Albert Mountains, Victoria Land. Discovered by the Discovery expedition and named after J.D. Morrison of the Morning, a relief ship to the expedition....

 to the south, in Convoy Range

Convoy Range

Convoy Range is a broad mountain range, much of it with an almost flat, plateau-like summit, extending south from the Fry Saddle and ending at Mackay Glacier...

, Victoria Land

Victoria Land

Victoria Land is a region of Antarctica bounded on the east by the Ross Ice Shelf and the Ross Sea and on the west by Oates Land and Wilkes Land. It was discovered by Captain James Clark Ross in January 1841 and named after the UK's Queen Victoria...

. From 1957 this ice body was considered part of Benson Glacier

Benson Glacier

Benson Glacier is a glacier about long, draining the east part of Flight Deck Neve and continuing east between Fry Glacier and Mackay Glacier into the north part of Granite Harbour where it forms a floating tongue...

. However, it was determined by a 1989-90 New Zealand Antarctic Research Program (NZARP) field party (Trevor Chinn

Trevor Chinn

Sir Trevor Edwin Chinn, CVO, is a prominent British businessman and philanthropist. He was educated at Clifton College.-Business career:Chinn started his career at Lex Garages where he followed in his father Rosser's footsteps, ascending to the role of Managing Director in 1968 at the age of 33...

) that although it abuts against the main Benson Glacier at Jetsam Moraine

Jetsam Moraine

Jetsam Moraine is a thin, sinuous medial moraine that arcs smoothly for 6 nautical miles from a point near Mount Razorback to beyond the far side of Black Pudding Peak, in Prince Albert Mountains, Victoria Land. Its curved trajectory marks the contact between Benson Glacier ice and that of...

, this glacier makes no contribution of ice to the Benson as its dominant ice flow is northward across its length. With the identification of Midship Glacier as a distinct feature, the application of Benson Glacier has been restricted to the ice flowing eastward from Flight Deck Neve

Flight Deck Neve

Flight Deck Neve is an elevated and unusually flat glacier neve, about 5 nautical miles by 3 nautical miles , between Flagship Mountain and Mount Razorback in the Convoy Range, Victoria Land. The feature is the primary source of ice to the east-flowing Benson Glacier at Scuppers Icefalls...

 to the terminus in Granite Harbour. Approved by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names

Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names

The Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names is an advisory committee of the United States Board on Geographic Names responsible for recommending names for features in Antarctica...

 (US-ACAN) in 1993 as recommended by the New Zealand Geographic Board

New Zealand Geographic Board

The New Zealand Geographic Board is constituted under the New Zealand Geographic Board Act 2008, formerly under the New Zealand Geographic Board Act 1946. Although an independent institution, it is responsible to the Minister for Land Information...

(NZGB).