Thurston Island

The north coast of the island is indented by a series of alternating inlets and peninsulas. Cape Petersen forms the westernmost portion of the northern coast. East of that is Jones Peninsula, then Dyer Point and Hughes Peninsula. Henry Inlet indents the coast to the east, and Tinglof Peninsula forms its eastern shore. Wagoner Inlet is east of that, followed by Starr Peninsula. Glacier Bight is to the east, and just north off the coast from them are the hazardous Porters Pinnacles. East of Starr Peninsula are Potaka Inlet, Kearns Peninsula, followed by Peale Inlet. The larger Noville Peninsula is to the east. It is bordered by Murphy Inlet, whose southern end is split into two prongs by Linsley Peninsula and Ball Peninsula. Edwards Peninsula, Koether Inlet, and the larger Evans Peninsula are to the east. Cadwalader Inlet, Lofgren Peninsula, and Morgan Inlet form the northeastern coast.

Satellite image of the island (northeast-up oriented)

The easternmost point of the island is Tierney Peninsula, southeast of which is Seraph Bay. Simpson Bluff, a broad ice-covered bluff, sits between Levko Glacier and Savage Glacier where they enter the bay.[8] Nearby Baker Knob is a small rounded coastal elevation which has an abrupt east face.[9] Both Simpson Bluff and Baker Knob were named by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN) for personnel from the Eastern Group of U.S. Navy Operation HIGHJUMP: Photographer's Mates R.M. Simpson and T.W. Baker, respectively. Operation HIGHJUMP obtained aerial photographs of Thurston Island and adjacent coastal areas in 1946–47.[8][9]

Snow-covered Harrison Nunatak stands 4 nautical miles (7 km) south of Savage Glacier. It was discovered on helicopter flights from the USS Burton Island (AGB-1) and USS Glacier (AGB-4) during the U.S. Navy Bellingshausen Sea Expedition in February 1960, and was named by US-ACAN for Henry T. Harrison Jr., a U.S. Weather Bureau meteorologist with the Byrd Antarctic Expedition in 1928–30.[10][11]

The southeast point of the island is Cape Walker.

On the south side of the island are King Peninsula, Williamson Peninsula, Evans Point, and Von der Wall Point, projecting into Peacock Sound. Williamson Peninsula is bordered by Schwartz Cove and O'Dowd Cove.

Shelton Head is a headland marked by exposed rock, located 12 nmi (22 km) west of Long Glacier on the south coast of Thurston Island. It was mapped by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) from surveys and U.S. Navy air photos, 1960–66, and named by US-ACAN for John A. Shelton meteorologist at Byrd Station, 1963–64.[12]

Prickly Ridge is a rounded ice-covered ridge 4 nmi (7.4 km) west of Shelton Head on the south side of Thurston Island. The descriptive name was given by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN); small dispersed nunataks rise above the ice surface, giving the feature a prickly appearance.[13] Belknap Nunatak, an ice-covered spur, is the largest outcrop on the ridge. It was mapped by the USGS from surveys and from U.S. Navy air photos, 1960–66, and named by US-ACAN for William Belknap, a field assistant at Byrd Station, 1964–65.[14]