Nunatak

For other uses, see Nunatak (disambiguation).
Nunataks in Antarctica
Cântaro Magro, Serra da Estrela, Portugal, formed as a nunatak during the last ice age and now exposed[1]

A nunatak (from Inuit nunataq) is the summit or ridge of a mountain that protrudes from an ice field or glacier that otherwise covers most of the mountain or ridge. They often form natural pyramidal peaks. Isolated nunataks are also called glacial islands,[2] and smaller nunataks rounded by glacial action may be referred to as rognons.[3][4]

The word is of Greenlandic origin[5] and has been used in English since the 1870s.

  1. ^ Vieira, G.T.; Ferreira, A.B. (1998). "General characteristics of the glacial geomorphology of the Serra da Estrela" (PDF). In G.T. Vieira (ed.). Glacial and Periglacial Geomorphology of the Serra da Estrela. Guidebook for the field-trip IGU Commission on Climate Change and Periglacial Environments, 26–28 August 1998. pp. 37–48. Retrieved October 16, 2011.
  2. ^ Physical Geography: Hydrosphere, 2006, ISBN 8183561675, p. 114
  3. ^ Neuendorf, Klaus K. E.; Institute, American Geological (2005). Glossary of Geology. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 9780922152766.
  4. ^ "Rognon definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary". www.collinsdictionary.com. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  5. ^ "Merriam-Webster: nunatak". Retrieved October 16, 2011.