Antarctic Dictionary
nunatak
nunatak Pl. usu nunataks, occas. (from the Scandinavian plurals) nunatakker
[Nunatak is recorded earlier (from 1877–) in arctic use. It occurs in almost the same form in Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish and Russian, and is recorded in Canadian English in recent times (from 1958, DCanE).]
A rocky outcrop or mountain peak sticking up from an ice-sheet. On the antarctic ice sheet, only isolated peaks and small areas of coastal rock are exposed.
26 Jan 1898 (nr 63deg57'S, 61deg47'W) Arctowski, Henryk in Murray, George, ed. (1901) The Antarctic manual, for the use of the expedition of 1901 Royal Geographical Society, London: 475.
Two pyramidal mountains project like nunataks, contrasting with the general smooth outline.
24 Jul 1913 (Glacier Tongue) Griffith Taylor, T. in Hanley, Wayne, ed. (1978) The Griffith Taylor collection: diaries and letters of a geographer in Antarctica Geography Department, University of New England, Armidale: 111.
Several rounded domes and ridges projected as Nunatakker; - or Nunakoller as I prefer to term these smooth rounded rock outcrops, for tak means a peak.
1930 (South Victoria Land) Byrd, Richard Evelyn in National Geographic LVIII(2) Aug: 157.
A nunatak is a bit of rock protruding from the snow.
1957 (Hope Bay) Anderson, W. Ellery Expedition south Evans Brothers, London: 45.
The crest of Blade Ridge gave way to ice-cliffs that were broken by a jagged series of nunataks, like black rock teeth with cavities stopped with glacial silver.
1965 Hedblom, Captain E.E. Polar manual, 4th edn US Navy, Bethesda, Maryland: 100.
Exposed rocks or nunatacks are usually best approached from the western or lee side where drifting usually bridges any danger.
1972 (Princess Martha Coast) Neethling, D.C. in South African Journal of Antarctic Research no. 2: 6. At the surface they present a nunatak-studded ice sheet.
1991 Venables, Stephen Island at the edge of the world: a South Georgia odyssey Hodder and Staughton, London: 95.
Brian had out the map and was pointing to the spot heights of little rock outcrops known in the trade as nunataks.
The Antarctic Dictionary, Hince, 2000; 243
