Salleq Island
Encyclopedia
Salleq Island is an uninhabited island in the Qaasuitsup
municipality in northwestern Greenland
. It is located in the north-central part of the Uummannaq Fjord
. The walls of the island feature characteristic multicolor bands of gneiss
and granite
layers.
Air Greenland
helicopters approach Ukkusissat Heliport
on the way from Uummannaq Heliport
alongside the southern and western wall of the large Appat Island
, to then pass above the narrow Appat Ikerat strait separating it from Salleq Island.
island and Salliaruseq Island
in the south by the central arm of the Uummannaq Fjord; from the Appat Island in the east by the Appat Ikerat strait; from the small archipelago of low-lying skerries
of Qeqertat to the north by the Salliup Qeqertallo Ikerat strait.
The island is very mountainous, consisting of an isolated and flooded mountain peak, with precipitous walls falling from the summit (1070 m (3,510.5 ft)) in all directions.
s and other seabirds. The island is also home to the largest colony of black guillemot
s in the Uummannaq Fjord region, with the population reaching 100.000 in 1949. The island is inaccessible from all sides, and has been a designated nature reserve, with access to the shores forbidden during the summer season: from the beginning of June to the end of August.
Qaasuitsup
Qaasuitsup is a new municipality in Greenland, operational from 1 January 2009. As of January 2010 its population is 17,749. The administrative center of the municipality is in Ilulissat...
municipality in northwestern Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
. It is located in the north-central part of the Uummannaq Fjord
Uummannaq Fjord
Uummannaq Fjord is a large fjord system in the northern part of western Greenland, the largest after Kangertittivaq fjord in eastern Greenland...
. The walls of the island feature characteristic multicolor bands of gneiss
Gneiss
Gneiss is a common and widely distributed type of rock formed by high-grade regional metamorphic processes from pre-existing formations that were originally either igneous or sedimentary rocks.-Etymology:...
and granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
layers.
Air Greenland
Air Greenland
Air Greenland A/S is the flag carrier airline of Greenland, jointly owned by the government of Greenland, the SAS Group, and the government of Denmark...
helicopters approach Ukkusissat Heliport
Ukkusissat Heliport
Ukkusissat Heliport is a heliport in Ukkusissat, a village in the Uummannaq Fjord system in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland. The heliport is considered a helistop, and is served by Air Greenland as part of a government contract...
on the way from Uummannaq Heliport
Uummannaq Heliport
Uummannaq Heliport is a heliport in Uummannaq, a town located on Uummannaq Island in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland. There are no facilities in the heliport.-Airlines and destinations:...
alongside the southern and western wall of the large Appat Island
Appat Island
Appat Island is an uninhabited island in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland. At , it is one of the larger islands in the Uummannaq Fjord system, located in its north-central part....
, to then pass above the narrow Appat Ikerat strait separating it from Salleq Island.
Geography
Salleq Island is separated from UummannaqUummannaq
Uummannaq is a town in the Qaasuitsup municipality, in northwestern Greenland. With 1,299 inhabitants as of 2010, it is the eleventh-largest town in Greenland, and is home to the country's most northerly ferry terminal...
island and Salliaruseq Island
Salliaruseq Island
Salliaruseq Island is an uninhabited island in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland. At , it is one of the larger islands in the Uummannaq Fjord system, located in its central part due east of Uummannaq Island...
in the south by the central arm of the Uummannaq Fjord; from the Appat Island in the east by the Appat Ikerat strait; from the small archipelago of low-lying skerries
Skerry
A skerry is a small rocky island, usually defined to be too small for habitation. It may simply be a rocky reef. A skerry can also be called a low sea stack....
of Qeqertat to the north by the Salliup Qeqertallo Ikerat strait.
The island is very mountainous, consisting of an isolated and flooded mountain peak, with precipitous walls falling from the summit (1070 m (3,510.5 ft)) in all directions.
Bird colony
Salleq is a breeding ground for fulmarFulmar
Fulmars are seabirds of the family Procellariidae. The family consists of two extant species and two that are extinct.-Taxonomy:As members of Procellaridae and then the order Procellariiformes, they share certain traits. First, they have nasal passages that attach to the upper bill called...
s and other seabirds. The island is also home to the largest colony of black guillemot
Black Guillemot
The Black Guillemot or Tystie is a medium-sized alcid.Adult birds have black bodies with a white wing patch, a thin dark bill, and red legs and feet. They show white wing linings in flight. In winter, the upperparts are pale grey and the underparts are white. The wings remain black with the large...
s in the Uummannaq Fjord region, with the population reaching 100.000 in 1949. The island is inaccessible from all sides, and has been a designated nature reserve, with access to the shores forbidden during the summer season: from the beginning of June to the end of August.