Danish and Swiss surveyors have uncovered the mystery of the northernmost island of Greenland, Qeqertaq Avannarleq. It turned out not to be an island but a large, grounded iceberg.

A small island – 30 by 60 meters – was found in July 2021 off the northern coast of Greenland beyond the Arctic Circle. Its discoverers took it for a full-fledged island and called it the northernmost point of land – Qeqertaq Avannarleq – which means “the northernmost island” in Greenlandic.

The discoverers were misled by the fact that the iceberg was covered with gravel, which is why it resembled dry land. According to scientists’ latest research, the iceberg probably calved off a nearby glacier. It was covered with gravel due to landslides, as a result of which huge chunks of ice broke away from the parent body.

Importantly, the title of the northernmost land has been rightfully returned to Kaffeklubben Island (Coffee Club Island). It was discovered to the east of Cape Morris-Jesup on the northernmost tip of Greenland at the beginning of the last century.