Pic de Gerlache is a
mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...
in
King Frederick VIII Land, NE
Greenland
Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...
. Administratively it is part of the
Northeast Greenland National Park
Northeast Greenland National Park ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaanni nuna eqqissisimatitaq, da, Grønlands Nationalpark) is the world's largest national park and the 10th List of largest protected areas in the world, largest protected area (the only large ...
.
History
This nunatak was named in 1905 by the
Duke of Orléans
Duke of Orléans (french: Duc d'Orléans) was a French royal title usually granted by the King of France to one of his close relatives (usually a younger brother or son), or otherwise inherited through the male line. First created in 1344 by King ...
during his
Arctic Expedition on ship
Belgica
Gallia Belgica ("Belgic Gaul") was a Roman province, province of the Roman Empire located in the north-eastern part of Roman Gaul, in what is today primarily northern France, Belgium, and Luxembourg, along with parts of the Netherlands and German ...
, when he explored parts of the northeastern coast of Greenland. He named it after Belgian explorer
Adrien de Gerlache
Baron Adrien Victor Joseph de Gerlache de Gomery (; 2 August 1866 – 4 December 1934) was a Belgian officer in the Belgian Royal Navy who led the Belgian Antarctic Expedition of 1897–99.
Early years
Born in Hasselt in eastern Belgium as t ...
(1866–1934).
Although this peak was an important landmark for the first explorers of the area, the 1906–08
Danmark Expedition
The Denmark expedition ( da, Danmark-ekspeditionen), also known as the Denmark Expedition to Greenland's Northeast Coast, and as the Danmark Expedition after the ship, was an expedition to the northeast of Greenland in 1906–1908.
Despite being ...
was unable to identify the original peak. Since the expedition members considered that the name should be preserved, it was placed on a conspicuous mountain rising on the north side of
Gammel Hellerup Glacier.
[''Catalogue of place names in northern East Greenland'', Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland]
A few years later,
Ejnar Mikkelsen
Ejnar Mikkelsen (December 23, 1880 – May 1, 1971) was a Danish polar explorer and author. He is most known for his expeditions to Greenland.
Biography
Mikkelsen was born in Vester Brønderslev, Jutland. He served in the Georg Carl Amdrup ex ...
described this mountain as a
pyramid
A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilat ...
during the 1909-12
Alabama Expedition
''Two Against the Ice'' is a non-fiction book authored by Danish explorer Ejnar Mikkelsen. The book details the author's exploration into Greenland, a journey made with his compatriot Iver P. Iversen in 1910. The book was originally published in ...
:
Geography
Pic de Gerlache is located in Norre Biland, the northern section of
Duke of Orleans Land
Duke of Orleans Land ( da, Hertugen af Orléans Land) is a land area —possibly a peninsula— in King Frederick VIII Land, northeastern Greenland. Administratively it belongs to the NE Greenland National Park area.
Geography
The Duke of Orleans ...
.
It rises from a
nunatak
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 are also called glacial islands. Examples are natural pyramidal peaks. ...
a few kilometers inland in the central zone of
Jokel Bay
Jokel Bay ( da, Jøkelbugten) is a large bay in North Eastern Greenland. The area of the bay is uninhabited. Administratively Jokel Bay and its surroundings belong to the Northeast Greenland National Park.
The bay was named after an old Norse word ...
.
On some maps the name is misplaced westwards to a slightly higher but less prominent nunatak peak.
See also
*
List of mountains in Greenland
This is a list of mountains in Greenland.
List
For each mountain, the municipality in which it is located is given, along with coordinates indicating the approximate centre of the mountain (follow the link to see satellite images of the location ...
*
List of Nunataks§Greenland
Bibliography
Greenland geology and selected mineral occurrences - GEUSh1>
References
Gerlache
Baron Adrien Victor Joseph de Gerlache de Gomery (; 2 August 1866 – 4 December 1934) was a Belgian officer in the Belgian Royal Navy who led the Belgian Antarctic Expedition of 1897–99.
Early years
Born in Hasselt in eastern Belgium as ...
Nunataks of Greenland
{{Greenland-geo-stub