Nunatarsuaq (Tasiusaq Bay)
Encyclopedia
Nunatarsuaq is a nunatak
in the Qaasuitsup
municipality in northwestern Greenland
.
, and one of the few named nunataks in Tasiusaq Bay
. To the north, it is bounded by Qaaneq fjord
, the innermost waterway of Kangerlussuaq Icefjord
. To the west, the innermost waterways of Tasiusaq Bay separate it from Aukarnersuaq Island
. To the southeast, the Nunatakassaup Sermia
glacier drains the Greenland ice sheet
into Tasiusaq Bay.
The highest point on the island is an unnamed peak of 653 m (2,142.4 ft).
Nunatak
A nunatak is an exposed, often rocky element of a ridge, mountain, or peak not covered with ice or snow within an ice field or glacier. The term is typically used in areas where a permanent ice sheet is present...
in the Qaasuitsup
Qaasuitsup
Qaasuitsup is a new municipality in Greenland, operational from 1 January 2009. As of January 2010 its population is 17,749. The administrative center of the municipality is in Ilulissat...
municipality in northwestern Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
.
Geography
Nunatarsuaq is one of several nunataks in the Upernavik ArchipelagoUpernavik Archipelago
Upernavik Archipelago is a vast archipelago of small islands in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland, on the coast of northeastern Baffin Bay...
, and one of the few named nunataks in Tasiusaq Bay
Tasiusaq Bay
Tasiusaq Bay is a bay in the Upernavik Archipelago in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland. It is an indentiation of northeastern Baffin Bay...
. To the north, it is bounded by Qaaneq fjord
Fjord
Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...
, the innermost waterway of Kangerlussuaq Icefjord
Kangerlussuaq Icefjord
Kangerlussuaq Icefjord is a fjord in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland.- Geography :...
. To the west, the innermost waterways of Tasiusaq Bay separate it from Aukarnersuaq Island
Aukarnersuaq Island
Aukarnersuaq Island is an uninhabited island in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland.- Geography :...
. To the southeast, the Nunatakassaup Sermia
Nunatakassaup Sermia (Tasiusaq Bay)
Nunatakassaup Sermia is a tidewater glacier in the Qaasuitsup municipality on the northwestern shore of Greenland. It drains the Greenland ice sheet southwestwards into Tasiusaq Bay. The glacier front is located to the southeast of the Nunatarsuaq nunatak, and to the north of the Qassersuaq...
glacier drains the Greenland ice sheet
Greenland ice sheet
The Greenland ice sheet is a vast body of ice covering , roughly 80% of the surface of Greenland. It is the second largest ice body in the world, after the Antarctic Ice Sheet. The ice sheet is almost long in a north-south direction, and its greatest width is at a latitude of 77°N, near its...
into Tasiusaq Bay.
The highest point on the island is an unnamed peak of 653 m (2,142.4 ft).