The point is so named in order to preserve the historical memory of the area. Having navigated the Strait of Magellan in 1599, the Dutch mariner Dirck Gerritsz Pomp (1544-1608) was blown to the south and reportedly sighted an extensive, ice-covered mountainous land. Although Gerritsz was unlikely to have reached 60° south latitude, some later publications used the name Gerritsz Archipelago for the Palmer Archipelago or Gerritsz Islands for the South Shetlands.
British Antarctic Territory. Scale 1:200000 topographic map. DOS 610 Series, Sheet W 64 62. Directorate of Overseas Surveys, UK, 1980.
Antarctic Digital Database (ADD). Scale 1:250000 topographic map of Antarctica. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR). Since 1993, regularly upgraded and updated.
