Rutgers Glacier is a steep 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...

 on the west side of the Royal Society Range

Royal Society Range

The Royal Society Range is a majestic mountain range in Victoria Land, Antarctica. With its summit at , the massive Mount Lister forms the highest point in this range. Mount Lister is located along the western shore of McMurdo Sound between the Koettlitz, Skelton and Ferrar glaciers...

 in the Ross Dependency

Ross Dependency

The Ross Dependency is a region of Antarctica defined by a sector originating at the South Pole, passing along longitudes 160° east to 150° west, and terminating at latitude 60° south...

, Antarctica. Rutgers Glacier descends southwest from Johns Hopkins Ridge

Johns Hopkins Ridge

Johns Hopkins Ridge is a prominent ridge of the Royal Society Range, running northward from Mount Rucker for 6 miles. Mapped by the United States Geological Survey from ground surveys and Navy air photos...

 and Mount Rucker

Mount Rucker

Mount Rucker is a mountain, 3,815 m, immediately south of Johns Hopkins Ridge in the Royal Society Range of Victoria Land. Discovered by the Discovery expedition which named it for Sir Arthur Rucker, Honorary Secretary of the Royal Society....

 to enter the Skelton Glacier

Skelton Glacier

Skelton Glacier is a large glacier flowing from the polar plateau into the Ross Ice Shelf at Skelton Inlet on the Hillary Coast, south of Victoria Land, Antarctica.-Discovery and naming:...

. Abbott Spur

Abbott Spur

Abbott Spur is an ice-covered spur in Victoria Land, Antarctica, separating the lower ends of Rutgers Glacier and Allison Glacier on the west side of the Royal Society Range.-Discovery and naming:...

 separates the lower ends of Rutgers Glacier from Allison Glacier

Allison Glacier (Antarctica)

Allison Glacier is a small glacier in Victoria Land, Antarctica. Its head is located just north of Mount Huggins, descending from the west slopes of Royal Society Range into Skelton Glacier...

.

Discovery and naming

Rutgers Glacier was mapped by the United States Geological Survey

United States Geological Survey

The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...

 (USGS) from ground surveys and aerial photographs

Aerial photography

Aerial photography is the taking of photographs of the ground from an elevated position. The term usually refers to images in which the camera is not supported by a ground-based structure. Cameras may be hand held or mounted, and photographs may be taken by a photographer, triggered remotely or...

 taken by the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

. The glacier was named by the 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) after Rutgers University

Rutgers University

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...

, New Brunswick, New Jersey

New Brunswick, New Jersey

New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...

, which has sent researchers to Antarctica, and in association with Johns Hopkins Ridge and Carleton Glacier

Carleton Glacier

Carleton Glacier is a glacier which drains the northwest slopes of Mount Lister in the Royal Society Range and flows north into the Emmanuel Glacier...

.