They were first photographed from the air and plotted by the Third German Antarctic Expedition (1938–39), mapped by Norwegian cartographers from surveys and air photos by the Sixth Norwegian Antarctic Expedition (1956–60) and named for Adolf Hoel, a Norwegian geologist and Arctic explorer, leader and member of many expeditions to Greenland and Spitsbergen since 1907.
They were initially captured in aerial photographs and charted by the Third German Antarctic Expedition (1938–39), mapped by Norwegian cartographers from surveys and air photos taken during the Sixth Norwegian Antarctic Expedition (1956–60) and named after Adolf Hoel, a Norwegian geologist and Arctic explorer who led and participated in numerous expeditions to Greenland and Spitsbergen since 1907.