Nunatak

For the band that played in Antarctica for Live Earth, see Nunatak (band).

Starr Nunatak, on the coast of Victoria Land, Antarctica

Cântaro Magro, Serra da Estrela, Portugal, formed as nunatak during the last ice age and now exposed^[1]

A nunatak (from Inuit nunataq) is an exposed, often rocky element of a ridge, mountain, or peak not covered with ice or snow within (or at the edge of) an ice field or glacier. The term is typically used in areas where a permanent ice sheet is present. Nunataks present readily identifiable landmark reference points in glaciers or ice caps and are often named.

Lifeforms on nunataks are frequently isolated by the surrounding ice or glacier creating unique habitats. Nunataks are generally angular and jagged because of freeze-thaw weathering and contrast strongly with the softer contours of the glacially eroded land after a glacier retreats.

The word is of Greenlandic origin^[2] and has been used in western European languages since the 1870s.

Bibliography

• Shackleton, Sir Ernest (2002). South: The Endurance Expedition (First edition, William Heinimann, 1909 ed.). London: Penguin. 
• Cherry-Garrard, Apsley (2003). The Worst Journey in the World. London: Pimlico. 
• Amundsen, Roald (1929). "Chapter XV: The Eastern Sledge Journey, by Lt. Kristian Prestrud". The South Pole. vol. 2. London: John Murray. p. 247. 
• Fuchs, Sir Vivian; Hillary, Sir Edmund (1958). The Crossing of Antarctica. London: Cassell. 

See also

• Atanasoff Nunatak
• Harvey Nunataks
• Newman Nunataks
• Young Nunataks
• Aitken Nunatak
• Schloredt Nunatak

References

1. ^ Vieira, G.T.; Ferreira, A.B. (1998). "General characteristics of the glacial geomorphology of the Serra da Estrela". In G.T. Vieira. Glacial and Periglacial Geomorphology of the Serra da Estrela. Guidebook for the field-trip IGU Commission on Climate Change and Periglacial Environments, 26-28 August1998. pp. 37-48. http://www.fl.ul.pt/pessoais/gtvieira/ficheiros_download/Glacial%20Geomorphology%20of%20the%20Serra%20da%20Estrela.pdf. Retrieved 2011 October 16. 
2. ^ "Merriam-Webster: nunatak". http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?va=nunatak. Retrieved 2011 October 16. 

This article relating to a topographical term is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: Glaciology stubs Topography stubs Nunataks Glaciology Mountains Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат? Marquess of Willingdon Henri de France Look at other dictionaries: nunatak — [ nynatak ] n. m. • 1891; mot du Groenland ♦ Géogr. Pointe rocheuse émergeant d une calotte glaciaire. ● nunatak nom masculin (mot esquimau) Dans les régions d inlandsis, pointement rocheux dominant les glaces. ⇒NUNATAK, subst. masc. GÉOGR. Piton …   Encyclopédie Universelle nunatak — nunaták s. n. Trimis de siveco, 10.08.2004. Sursa: Dicţionar ortografic  NUNATÁK s.n. (geol.) Pisc stâncos izolat din zona zăpezilor permanente, care străpunge calota de gheaţă. [< fr. nunatak < cuv. eschimos]. Trimis de LauraGellner,… …   Dicționar Român Nunatak — Nu na*tak, n.; pl. { taks}(the pl. form {Nunatakker} is Swedish). [Eskimo nun[ae]ttak.] In Greenland, an insular hill or mountain surrounded by an ice sheet. [Webster 1913 Suppl.] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English Nunatak — er et grønlandsk ord for en bjergtop, som er så høj, at den rager op igennem en kappe af indlandsis eller igennem en gletsjer …   Danske encyklopædi nunatak — [nun′ə tak΄, no͞o′nətak΄] n. [prob. via Dan < Esk] Geol. an isolated mountain peak protruding through glacial ice …   English World dictionary Nunatak — Nunataks nahe der Ostküste Grönlands …   Deutsch Wikipedia Nunatak —  Ne doit pas être confondu avec Pic pyramidal. Nunataks sur la côte orientale du Groenland Un nunatak (en groenlandais nunataq signifiant « montagne » …   Wikipédia en Français Nunatak — Nunataks en la costa oeste groenlandesa. Un nunatak (inuktitut: pico solitario [nunattak] )? es un pico montañoso que emerge del territorio cubierto por un glaciar sin estar cubierto de hielo él mismo; el término ha sido …   Wikipedia Español nunatak — /nun euh tak /, n. a hill or mountain that has been completely encircled by a glacier. [1875 80; < Inuit (West Greenlandic) nunataq] * * * ▪ geology       isolated mountain peak that once projected through a continental ice sheet or an Alpine… …   Universalium nunatak — noun /ˈnʌnətæk,ˈnuːnətæk/ A mountain top or rocky element of a ridge that is surrounded by glacial ice but is not covered by ice; a peak protruding from the surface ice sheet. The peak in whose lee you have chosen to set up your command post is… …   Wiktionary 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”