Snow Nunataks [SEP] continent
Snow Nunataks
Snow Nunataks () is a line of four widely separated nunataks on the coast of Palmer Land, Antarctica. The peaks lie southward of Case Island and trend east-west for 20 miles. The nunataks were discovered by the United States Antarctic Service (USAS) (1939–41) and named for Ashley C. Snow, aviation pilot on the expedition.
used in areas where a permanent ice sheet is present and the nunataks protrude above the sheet. Nunataks present readily identifiable landmark reference points in glaciers or ice caps and are often named. While some nunataks are isolated, sometimes they form dense clusters, such as Queen Louise Land in Greenland.
Nunataks are generally angular and jagged, which hampers the formation of glacial ice on their tops, although snow can accumulate on them. They usually contrast strongly with the softer contours of the glacially eroded land after a glacier retreats.