Perunika Glacier
Encyclopedia
Perunika Glacier is an 8 km long and 3 km wide (average) roughly crescent-shaped glacier in eastern Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands
, Antarctica.
Its head is bounded by Pliska Ridge
to the south-southwest, Nesebar Gap
to the south, Wörner Gap
to the east, and Bowles Ridge
to the north-northeast. It drains northwestwards between Burdick Ridge
and Bowles Ridge
, then north of Rezen Knoll
turns west-southwest and flows into the head of Emona Anchorage
between Bulgarian Beach
and Pimpirev Beach
.
The glacier is heavily crevassed in its lower half, receiving ice influx also from Balkan Snowfield
and from the part of the island’s ice cap that is located west of Hemus Peak
and Gurev Gap
and south of Saedinenie Snowfield
, and is draining southwards. It exhibits pyroclastic phenomena typical of the region’s glaciology and resulting from volcanic activities at Deception Island not 40 km away.
The glacier was mapped by the Spanish Servicio Geográfico del Ejército in 1991, the lower portion in greater detail. Bulgarian remapping of Perunika Glacier’s terminus
from a survey made during the summer of 1995-96; mapping in 2005 and 2009 from the Bulgarian topographic survey Tangra 2004/05
.
Perunika is the name of a village in the Rhodope Mountains
in southern Bulgaria. A derivation of Perun
, the name of ancient Slavic
God.
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.
Its head is 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 south-southwest, Nesebar Gap
Nesebar Gap
Nesebar Gap is a 1.3 km wide gap in eastern Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica bounded to the west by Pliska Ridge and to the east by the northern slope of Mount Friesland, Tangra Mountains...
to the south, 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...
to the east, 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...
to the north-northeast. It drains northwestwards between 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...
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...
, then north of Rezen Knoll
Rezen Knoll
Rezen Knoll is a knoll rising to 433 m in eastern Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. The knoll is bounded to the east, north and west by Perunika Glacier, and linked to Burdick Ridge by Rezen Saddle. The feature is 250 m wide, extending 500 m in east-west direction....
turns west-southwest and flows into the head of Emona Anchorage
Emona Anchorage
Emona Anchorage is a roughly square embayment, the internal part of South Bay, Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica used as an anchorage for ships visiting the Bulgarian base St...
between Bulgarian Beach
Bulgarian Beach
Bulgarian Beach is a coast in the north part of Hurd Peninsula, eastern Livingston Island, extending 2.3 km from Hespérides Point to the southwest to Perunika Glacier to the northeast, and forming the southeast coast of Emona Anchorage.The beach comprises four predominantly boulder beaches,...
and Pimpirev Beach
Pimpirev Beach
Pimpirev Beach is the portion of the northwest coast of South Bay, Livingston Island, Antarctica bounded to the southwest by Ereby Point and to the northeast by the north corner of the bay marked by an ice sea cave located 5.8 km east-northeast of Ereby Point and 1.45 km northwest of...
.
The glacier is heavily crevassed in its lower half, receiving ice influx also from Balkan Snowfield
Balkan Snowfield
Balkan Snowfield is an ice-covered plateau ranging from 150 to 280 m in eastern Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Western Antarctica...
and from the part of the island’s ice cap that is located west of Hemus Peak
Hemus Peak
Hemus Peak is an ice-covered peak rising to 636 m off the northwest extremity of Bowles Ridge in eastern Livingston Island. The feature is breast-shaped, 850 m long in east-west direction and 550 m wide, and overlooks Kaliakra Glacier to the northeast and Perunika Glacier to the southwest...
and Gurev Gap
Gurev Gap
Gurev Gap is a flat ice-covered saddle of elevation 450 m extending 3 km in south-north direction between Hemus Peak and Gleaner Heights in eastern Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica...
and south of Saedinenie Snowfield
Saedinenie Snowfield
Saedinenie Snowfield on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, is bounded by Teres Ridge to the west, the glacial divide between the Drake Passage and Bransfield Strait to the south, Gleaner Heights, Elhovo Gap and Leslie Hill to the southeast, and Leslie Gap and Vidin...
, and is draining southwards. It exhibits pyroclastic phenomena typical of the region’s glaciology and resulting from volcanic activities at Deception Island not 40 km away.
The glacier was mapped by the Spanish Servicio Geográfico del Ejército in 1991, the lower portion in greater detail. Bulgarian remapping of Perunika Glacier’s terminus
Glacier terminus
A glacier terminus, or snout, is the end of a glacier at any given point in time. Although glaciers seem motionless to the observer, in reality glaciers are in endless motion and the glacier terminus is always either advancing or retreating...
from a survey made during the summer of 1995-96; mapping in 2005 and 2009 from 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...
.
Perunika is the name of a village in the Rhodope Mountains
Rhodope Mountains
The Rhodopes are a mountain range in Southeastern Europe, with over 83% of its area in southern Bulgaria and the remainder in Greece. Its highest peak, Golyam Perelik , is the seventh highest Bulgarian mountain...
in southern Bulgaria. A derivation of Perun
Perun
In Slavic mythology, Perun is the highest god of the pantheon and the god of thunder and lightning. His other attributes were the fire, mountains, the oak, iris, eagle, firmament , horses and carts, weapons and war...
, the name of ancient Slavic
Slavic mythology
Slavic mythology is the mythological aspect of the polytheistic religion that was practised by the Slavs before Christianisation.The religion possesses many common traits with other religions descended from the Proto-Indo-European religion....
God.
Maps
- Isla Livingston: Península Hurd. Mapa topográfico de escala 1:25 000. Madrid: Servicio Geográfico del Ejército, 1991.
- L.L. Ivanov. Livingston Island: Central-Eastern Region. Scale 1:25000 topographic map. Sofia: Antarctic Place-names Commission of Bulgaria, 1996.
- 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
