It was mapped from air photos taken by Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition (RARE) (1947–48) and Falkland Islands and Dependencies Aerial Survey Expedition (FIDASE) (1956–57), and named by United Kingdom Antarctic Place-Names Committee (UK-APC) for Johannes Weertman, American metallurgist who proposed a theory of slip of glaciers on their beds and has made important contributions to the theory of glacier flow.
The area was mapped using air photos from the Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition (RARE) in 1947–48 and the Falkland Islands and Dependencies Aerial Survey Expedition (FIDASE) in 1956–57, and named after Johannes Weertman by the United Kingdom Antarctic Place-Names Committee. Weertman was an American metallurgist who proposed a theory of glacier slip on their beds and has made important contributions to the understanding of glacier flow.