M'Kean Point on the southeast coast of Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands

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 is formed by an offshoot of Kalofer Peak

Kalofer Peak

Kalofer Peak is a 300 m sharp rocky peak in the Levski Ridge, Tangra Mountains on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica...

. The point separates the termini

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...

 of Srebarna Glacier

Srebarna Glacier

Srebarna Glacier on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica draining southeast of the Great Needle Peak and Serdica Peak in Levski Ridge, Tangra Mountains to enter Bransfield Strait between Aytos Point and M'Kean Point. Extending 2.3 km in southwest-northeast direction and 1.8...

 to the southwest and Magura Glacier

Magura Glacier

Magura Glacier is located to the north of M'Kean Point on the southeast side of Tangra Mountains on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica and is bounded by Great Needle Peak to the west, Vitosha Saddle, Vihren Peak and Helmet Peak to the northwest, Plovdiv Peak and Shishman...

 to the north-northeast.

The point is named after Captain J. M'Kean, Master of the British Indian sealing

Seal hunting

Seal hunting, or sealing, is the personal or commercial hunting of seals. The hunt is currently practiced in five countries: Canada, where most of the world's seal hunting takes place, Namibia, the Danish region of Greenland, Norway and Russia...

 vessel Princess Charlotte that visited the area in 1821-22.

Location

The point is located at 62°41′31.8"S 60°00′41"W which is 17.32 km east-northeast of Botev Point

Botev Point

Botev Point is the south extremity of both Rozhen Peninsula and Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica formed by an offshoot of Botev Peak in the Veleka Ridge of Tangra Mountains....

, 2.6 km northeast of Aytos Point

Aytos Point

Aytos Point is a point on the coast of Bransfield Strait, Livingston Island, Antarctica formed by an offshoot of Christoff Cliff...

, 3.3 km southeast of Great Needle Peak

Great Needle Peak

Great Needle Peak is the summit of the central Levski Ridge in Tangra Mountains on Livingston Island, Antarctica. Rising to ca. 1690 m, it is the second highest peak of Tangra Mountains after Mount Friesland...

 and 13.99 km southwest of Renier Point

Renier Point

Renier Point is a narrow point forming the east extremity of both Burgas Peninsula and Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. The feature was known to sealers as Point Renier as early as 1821. The name ‘Pin Point’, given by Discovery Investigations personnel on the...

. British mapping in 1968, Spanish in 1991, and Bulgarian in 2005 and 2009.

Maps

• 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

Reference

• SCAR Composite Antarctic Gazetteer.
• R.K. Headland. Chronological list of Antarctic expeditions and related historical events. Cambridge University Press, 1989. 740 pp. ISBN 978-0-521-30903-5