 Dumont d'Urville Station on Petrel Island | |
  Petrel Island Location in Antarctica | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Antarctica |
| Coordinates | 66°40′S140°1′E / 66.667°S 140.017°E /-66.667; 140.017 |
| Archipelago | Géologie Archipelago |
| Major islands | Petrel Island,Gouverneur Island, Alexis Carel Island, Jean Rostand Island |
| Area | 0.33 km2 (0.13 sq mi) |
| Length | 900 m (3000 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 44 m (144 ft) |
| Highest point | La Cave |
| Administration | |
| Administered under theAntarctic Treaty System | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 30 |
| Pop. density | 90/km2 (230/sq mi) |
Petrel Island (French:Île des Pétrels) is a rocky island, 900 m long and 45 m in elevation, which lies north-west ofRostand Island and is the largest feature in the cluster of islands at the south-eastern end ofGéologie Archipelago. It was photographed from the air by U.S. NavyOperation Highjump, 1946–47, charted by theFrench Antarctic Expedition, 1949–51, and so named by them because numeroussnow petrel nests present. In January 1952, following destruction of thePort Martin base by fire, the French Antarctic Expedition under Marret, 1952–53, enlarged the hut on Petrel Island to serve as the new base site. The island is now the site ofDumont d'Urville Station.
The wooden building known as ‘Base Marret’, where seven men under Marret's command overwintered in 1952 following the fire at Port Martin, has been designated aHistoric Site or Monument (HSM 47), following a proposal by France to theAntarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting. The iron cross on the north-east headland of the island is dedicated as a memorial to André Prudhomme, head meteorologist on the third International Geophysical Year expedition, who disappeared during a blizzard on 7 January 1959; it has similarly been designated a Historic Site or Monument (HSM 48).[1]
This article incorporatespublic domain material from"Petrel Island (Antarctica)".Geographic Names Information System.United States Geological Survey. 
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