Philippi Rise is a low, snow-covered promontory 7 nautical miles (13 km) wide and extending some 10 nautical miles (18 km) southeast from the east coast of Graham Land

Graham Land

Graham Land is that portion of the Antarctic Peninsula which lies north of a line joining Cape Jeremy and Cape Agassiz. This description of Graham Land is consistent with the 1964 agreement between the British Antarctic Place-names Committee and the US Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names, in...

. The ice surface is highest in the west, where it rises to about 395 m and is broken by Borchgrevink and Gemini Nunataks

Gemini Nunataks

Gemini Nunataks are two nunataks of similar size and appearance in a prominent position near the west wall of Shackleton Glacier, just southeast of Mount Cole. Named by F. Alton Wade, leader of the Texas Tech Shackleton Glacier Party , after the constellation Gemini, which contains the twin stars...

. The Swedish Antarctic Expedition

Swedish Antarctic Expedition

The Swedish Antarctic Expedition was led by Otto Nordenskjöld and Carl Anton Larsen.-Background:Otto Nordenskjöld, a Swedish geologist and geographer, organized and lead a scientific expedition of the Antarctic Peninsula...

 under Nordenskjold, 1901–04, reported an ice wall or glacial terrace in the vicinity of Borchgrevink Nunatak

Borchgrevink Nunatak

Borchgrevink Nunatak is a nunatak long which rises to , standing at the south side of the entrance to Richthofen Pass, on the east coast of Graham Land. It was discovered in 1902 by the Swedish Antarctic Expedition under Otto Nordenskiöld, who named it for C.E. Borchgrevink, leader of the British...

. Although unable to determine its nature, Nordenskjold named the feature Philippigletscher, after Emil Philippi. It was determined to be a snow-covered promontory by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS) during their 1947 survey of this coast.