Gunnbjørn Fjeld

This article is about the mountain Gunnbjørn Fjeld, also known as Hvitserk. For the Norse legend of the same name as the latter, see Hvitserk.
Gunnbjørn Fjeld
Highest point
Elevation 3,694 m (12,119 ft)
Prominence 3,694 m (12,119 ft)
Isolation 3,254 kilometres (2,022 mi)
Listing
Coordinates 68°55′10.2″N 29°53′54.72″W / 68.919500°N 29.8985333°W / 68.919500; -29.8985333Coordinates: 68°55′10.2″N 29°53′54.72″W / 68.919500°N 29.8985333°W / 68.919500; -29.8985333
Geography
Gunnbjørn Fjeld

Location of Gunnbjørn Fjeld in Greenland

Location Sermersooq, Greenland
Parent range Watkins Range

Gunnbjørn Fjeld (also called only Gunnbjørn) is Greenland's highest mountain and also the highest mountain north of the Arctic circle.

This mountain's name refers to the mythical Norse Hvitserk, literally meaning "whiteshirt", of the Icelandic Sagas.[1] It is a nunatak, a rocky peak protruding through glacial ice.

Geography

Gunnbjørn Fjeld is located in the Watkins Range, an area of nunataks on the east coast, which contains several other summits above 3,500 metres.[2] Its height is often given as 3,700 metres (12,100 ft), although figures vary slightly.

History

Gunnbjørn Fjeld was first climbed on 16 August 1935 by Augustine Courtauld, Jack Longland, Ebbe Munck, Harold G. Wager, and Lawrence Wager. It is named after Gunnbjorn Ulfsson, the Viking the first European referred to in relation to Greenland.

The peak rises in an uninhabited part of the eastern coast of Greenland. The mountain is not so often climbed owing to its remote location. Access is often done with helicopter or ski-equipped plane (normally from Iceland).

See also

References

  1. Apollonio, Spencer. "Lands that Hold One Spellbound: A Story of East Greenland". p. 350.
  2. "Gunnbjørn Fjeld". Mapcarta. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/8/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.