This area was first charted by the Swedish Antarctic Expedition, 1901–04, under Nordenskjöld. Both Zenker Ridge and Osmic Hill were named by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS) following their sketch survey in 1951, both names being derived from chemical fixatives (Zenker's fixative and Osmic acid) used in biological work by the FIDS.
The area was first explored by the Swedish Antarctic Expedition, 1901–04, under Nordenskjöld. The features Zenker Ridge and Osmic Hill were later named by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS) after their initial survey in 1951, with names derived from chemical stabilizers (Zenker's fixative and Osmic acid) used in biological studies by the FIDS.