Orpheus Gate is a 548 m high, 380 m wide, pass in eastern Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands

South Shetland Islands

The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands, lying about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, with a total area of . By the Antarctic Treaty of 1959, the Islands' sovereignty is neither recognized nor disputed by the signatories and they are free for use by any signatory for...

, Antarctica bounded by Pliska Ridge

Pliska Ridge

Pliska Ridge is a three-peaked ridge rising to 667 m in eastern Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica...

 to the southeast and Burdick Ridge

Burdick Ridge

Burdick Ridge is a ridge rising to 773 m on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands. Extending for 1.9 km between Orpheus Gate in the southeast and Rezen Saddle in the northwest. Bounded by Perunika Glacier to the northeast, and Balkan Snowfield to the southwest. Takes its name from...

 to the northwest, Huntress Glacier

Huntress Glacier

Huntress Glacier is a 7 km long and 3.7 km wide glacier on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica bounded by Friesland Ridge, Tangra Mountains to the southeast, Nesebar Gap, Pliska Ridge, Burdick Ridge and Willan Nunatak to the north, and Charrúa Gap and Napier Peak...

 to the southwest and Perunika Glacier

Perunika Glacier

Perunika Glacier is an 8 km long and 3 km wide roughly crescent-shaped glacier in eastern Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica....

 to the northeast.

The pass forms part of the overland routes from Hurd Peninsula

Hurd Peninsula

Hurd Peninsula is the land between South Bay and False Bay on the south coast of Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. The Spanish Antarctic base Juan Carlos I and the Bulgarian Antarctic base St. Kliment Ohridski are situated on the west coast of the peninsula.The feature...

 via Willan Saddle

Willan Saddle

Willan Saddle is a flat, crescent-shaped and ice-covered saddle extending 1 km in the northeast-southwest direction between Burdick South Peak and Willan Nunatak in eastern Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica...

, the southern foothills of Burdick South Peak

Burdick South Peak

Burdick South Peak rises 544 m and is formed by an offshoot extending 1 km west-southwestwards from the southeastern extremity of Burdick Ridge in eastern Livingston Island. The peak is narrow, with steep and partly ice-free southern and northern slopes...

, and Orpheus Gate to upper Perunika Glacier

Perunika Glacier

Perunika Glacier is an 8 km long and 3 km wide roughly crescent-shaped glacier in eastern Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica....

, Wörner Gap

Wörner Gap

Wörner Gap is a flat saddle extending 3 km in the south-north direction between Friesland Ridge and Bowles Ridge in eastern Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. Its elevation decreases from 585 m in the south to 541 m in the middle, and 525 m in the north...

 area, upper Huron Glacier

Huron Glacier

Huron Glacier is a 7.7 km long and 3.5 km wide glacial flow on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. The glacier is bounded by Bowles Ridge to the north, Wörner Gap to the west and Tangra Mountains to the south, receiving ice influx from several tributary glaciers...

, Tangra Mountains

Tangra Mountains

Tangra Mountains form the principal mountain range of Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica...

 and Bowles Ridge

Bowles Ridge

Bowles Ridge is the central ridge of eastern Livingston Island. The ridge extends 6.5 km in the east-west direction and is 1.5 km wide. The summit of the ridge is Mount Bowles which rises to 822m and is located 9.77 km northwest of Great Needle Peak, 6.08 km north by west of...

.

Orpheus

Orpheus

Orpheus was a legendary musician, poet, and prophet in ancient Greek religion and myth. The major stories about him are centered on his ability to charm all living things and even stones with his music; his attempt to retrieve his wife from the underworld; and his death at the hands of those who...

, a name of world and national culture, was originally applied in 1995 to a nearby peak but, due to the priority of the existing British nameform Willan Nunatak, was subsequently transferred to the present feature.

Location

The midpoint is located at 62°38′35"S 60°14′31"W which is 6.3 km east of St. Kliment Ohridski

St. Kliment Ohridski Base

St. Kliment Ohridski Base is a Bulgarian Antarctic base on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands.The base, originally known as Sofia University Refuge, was named in 1993 "for St...

 base, 7.84 km east-northeast of Juan Carlos I base, 1.77 km east-northeast of Willan Saddle

Willan Saddle

Willan Saddle is a flat, crescent-shaped and ice-covered saddle extending 1 km in the northeast-southwest direction between Burdick South Peak and Willan Nunatak in eastern Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica...

, 2.21 km southeast of Rezen Saddle

Rezen Saddle

Rezen Saddle is a geographical feature on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. The 600 m long horseshoe-shaped flat saddle of elevation 420 m lies between Rezen Knoll and Burdick Ridge in eastern Livingston Island, affording overland access from Balkan Snowfield to upper...

, 3.87 km southwest of Omurtag Pass

Omurtag Pass

Omurtag Pass is a 720 m high pass between Mount Bowles and Ticha Peak in Bowles Ridge, Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica and is part of an overland route between the Wörner Gap area and upper Kaliakra Glacier...

, 6.82 km west-southwest of Pirdop Gate

Pirdop Gate

Pirdop Gate is a 300-m wide pass between Maritsa Peak and Atanasoff Nunatak in eastern Bowles Ridge, Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. It has an elevation of 376 m at its northern entrance from Struma Glacier, and 261 m at the southern entrance from Huron Glacier...

, 3.61 km west of Camp Academia

Camp Academia

Camp Academia is a geographical locality in eastern Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, named for the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in appreciation of Academy’s contribution to the Antarctic exploration...

 site, 5.29 km west of Lozen Saddle

Lozen Saddle

Lozen Saddle is a 437 m high saddle situated between Lozen Nunatak and Zograf Peak in Tangra Mountains, eastern Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica which provides overland access from the Wörner Gap area to the Shipka Valley...

 and 5.48 km northwest of Catalunyan Saddle

Catalunyan Saddle

Catalunyan Saddle is a saddle of 1260 m height in the Friesland Ridge of the Tangra Mountains on Livingston Island, in the South Shetland Islands. The saddle is bounded by Lyaskovets Peak to the east and by Presian Ridge to the west. The saddle was named in honour of the Catalans Francesc Sàbat...

 (Detailed Spanish mapping in 1991, elevation and distances according to the Bulgarian topographic survey Tangra 2004/05

Tangra 2004/05

The Tangra 2004/05 Expedition was commissioned by the Antarctic Place-names Commission at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria, managed by the Manfred Wörner Foundation, and supported by the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute, the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics at the Bulgarian Academy...

).

First crossed by the Bulgarian Kuzman Tuhchiev from St. Kliment Ohridski Base

St. Kliment Ohridski Base

St. Kliment Ohridski Base is a Bulgarian Antarctic base on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands.The base, originally known as Sofia University Refuge, was named in 1993 "for St...

 during the 1993/94 season.

Maps

• L.L. Ivanov et al. Antarctica: Livingston Island and Greenwich Island, South Shetland Islands. Scale 1:100000 topographic map. Sofia: Antarctic Place-names Commission of Bulgaria, 2005.
• L.L. Ivanov. Antarctica: Livingston Island and Greenwich, Robert, Snow and Smith Islands. Scale 1:120000 topographic map. Troyan: Manfred Wörner Foundation, 2009. ISBN 978-954-92032-6-4