Finger Ridges [SEP] continent
Finger Ridges
The Finger Ridges () are several mainly ice-free ridges and spurs extending over a distance of about , east-west, in the northwestern part of the Cook Mountains in Antarctica. The individual ridges are long and project northward from the higher main ridge. They were mapped by the United States Geological Survey from tellurometer surveys and Navy air photos, 1959–63, and named descriptively by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names.
Several of the finger ridges are associated with "water courts", depressions deep enough to retain water. Some may have stored rain water for drinking, while others, with a connection to open water, may have served as fish traps. The finger ridges are also constructed from clean, whole oyster shells, but are covered by a midden layer of black earth and shells with many artifacts and fish bones. Shell samples from the lower levels of the finger ridges yielded calibrated radiocarbon dates of 660 to 810, while samples from