Jutulsessen is a nunatak mountain with a peak above mean sea level. It is located north of Terningskarvet, also in the Gjelsvik Mountains of Queen Maud Land. Jutulsessen is located in the eastern part of Princess Martha Coast in Queen Maud Land, which Norway claims as a dependent territory. The base is located above mean sea level and is completely surrounded by the Antarctic ice sheet. Jutulsessen is from the coast of King Haakon VII Sea. The mountain area is horseshoe-shaped with a glacier and cirque of Sætet to the north. The two arms of the area are located northwards. The western arm is the location of Troll. The eastern arm is longer and consists of the narrow section of Jutulhogget and the wider Armlenet. Further north lies the isolated area of Stabben. Blåfallet is an ice-depression on the western side of Knokane, a ridge of Armlenet. Jutuldalen is a valley in Armlenet, with the ice-depression of Staupet to the west. Armlenet also features the glacier of Ringfingerbreen. Southeast of Sætet lies the broad valley of Brudgedalen, and to the southeast lies the ridge of Brudga. The three peaks closest to Troll are Trolltindane, the tallest of which is Trolltinden. The area has a cold and dry climate being located in a desert. The annual mean temperature is, with the summer temperature able to reach about and the lowest during the winter at. Storms, which can occur throughout the year, can occasionally make outdoor activity impossible. Being located south of the Antarctic Circle, Troll has midnight sunin the summer and polar night during the winter.
History
The mountain was first photographed by the German Antarctic Expedition in 1938–39. It was subsequently mapped by Norwegian cartographers from surveys and air photographs taken during the Norwegian–British–Swedish Antarctic Expedition in 1949–52 and the subsequent Norwegian expedition in 1958–59. It was given the Norwegian name Jutulsessen, which means "the seat of the giant". Norway established the Antarctic polar station Maudheim in 1950. It was located on ice and used only during the summer. After a few years, it was so covered in snow that it was not possible to dig out. When searching for a new station, the Norwegian Polar Institute decided to find an area which would be snow-free in January and February and which was close to blue ice that would allow the establishment of an airfield. The area was explored by helicopter on January 11, 1990 and the expedition decided to establish a base on the lower parts of Jutulessen. Troll was officially opened on February 17, 1990. Troll Airfield was opened on February 11, 2005 and an all-year research station the following day.
