 South end of Ross Island, with the pyramidalObservation Hill at the center of the image, betweenMcMurdo Station andScott Base.Crater Hill is visible to the right. | |
  Ross Island | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Antarctica |
| Coordinates | 77°30′S168°00′E / 77.500°S 168.000°E /-77.500; 168.000 |
| Archipelago | Ross Archipelago |
| Area | 2,460 km2 (950 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 3,794 m (12448 ft) |
| Highest point | Mount Erebus |
| Administration | |
| Administered under theAntarctic Treaty System | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 1300 |
Ross Island is an island in Antarctica lying on the east side ofMcMurdo Sound and extending 43 nautical miles (80 km; 49 mi) fromCape Bird in the north toCape Armitage in the south, and a similar distance fromCape Royds in the west toCape Crozier in the east.The island is entirely volcanic.Mount Erebus, 3,795 metres (12,451 ft), near the center, is an active volcano.Mount Terror, 3,230 metres (10,600 ft) about 20 nautical miles (37 km; 23 mi) eastward, is an extinct volcano.Mount Bird rises to 1,765 metres (5,791 ft) just south of Cape Bird.[1]
Ross Island lies within the boundary ofRoss Dependency, an area of Antarctica claimed byNew Zealand. However, the claim is currently in abeyance by the InternationalAntarctic Treaty System of 1961. Signatories of this treaty essentially agree that Antarctica is used for peaceful and scientific purposes. The United States and New Zealand each established bases,McMurdo andScott, in the mid 1950s on Ross Island; the former is now the largest human settlement in Antarctica since its founding. The island is also home to early exploration shacks and memorials includingShackleton's Hut atCape Royds,Scott's Hut atCape Evans, andDiscovery Hut atHut Point.
Ross Island, although an island surrounded by water, is essentially permanently connected to the main Antarctica land mass by a glacial ice sheet on its south and eastern side: it is only the sea ice in McMurdo sound that melts and re-freezes each year. TheSouth Pole Traverse goes from Ross Island across the ice sheet to the South Pole, and that road is opened seasonally to clear snow and check for new crevasses in the 21st century. At the edge of the Antarctic glacial ice sheet and McMurdo sound, is an ice cliff. The southern tip of Ross Island, Hut Point, has a harbor that is the southernmost harbor in the world, and is opened each year by icebreakers during the light season at the end of the year to bring supplies. From these bases resources flow to science projects and Antarctic bases and field stations not just on Ross island but many places throughout Antarctica. There are also several airports and airstrips around Ross Island, some of which are only open seasonally.
This area was discovered by SirJames Clark Ross in 1841, but he thought it formed part of the mainland of Victoria Land. It was determined to be an island and named Ross Island by the British National Antarctic Expedition (1901-04), led byRobert Falcon Scott, in honor of Sir James Clark Ross.[1]Ross Island was the base for many of theearly expeditions to Antarctica. It is the southernmost island reachable by sea. Huts built by Scott's andShackleton's expeditions are still standing on the island, preserved as historical sites.
Today Ross Island is home toNew Zealand'sScott Base and to the largest Antarctic settlement, theUnited States Antarctic Program'sMcMurdo Station.Greenpeace establishedWorld Park Base on the island and ran it for five years, from 1987 to 1992.
Because of the persistent presence of theice sheet, the island is sometimes taken to be part of the Antarctic mainland. Only a small portion of the island is free of ice and snow.Its area is 2,460 square kilometres (950 sq mi).Despite its relatively small size, Ross Island is the world's6th highest island and the highest island in Antarctica. It has the highest average elevation of any island.[citation needed]
Major volcanic peaks include, from west to east,Mount Bird,Mount Erebus,Mount Terra Nova andMount Terror.[2]Mount Erebus is (3,794 metres (12,448 ft)) is the planet's southernmost active volcano.The dormant volcano Mount Terror (3,230 metres (10,600 ft)), is the second highest on the island. They were named by CaptainJames Ross after his shipsHMSErebus andHMSTerror. The third highest elevation isMount Bird, with Shell Glacier and Endeavour Piedmont Glacier on its slopes.[3]
TheErebus hotspot is thought to be responsible for the island's volcanic activity.[4]
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The base of theHut Point Peninsula is home toMcMurdo Station,Scott Base andDiscovery Hut.Scott's Hut is further north on the west coast, atCape Evans.North of this atCape Royds isShackleton's Hut.Finally, theCape Bird Hut is just south ofCape Bird.[2]
Capes and peninsulas include, clockwise from the south, theHut Point Peninsula,Cape Evans,Cape Royds,Cape Bird,Cape Tennyson,Cape Crozier andCape MacKay.[2]
Large bays includeErebus Bay,Wohlschlag Bay,Lewis Bay andWindless Bight.[2]
Major glaciers entering the sea or ice cap around the island include, clockwise from the south,Erebus Glacier and theErebus Glacier Tongue,Barne Glacier,Shell Glacier,Terror Glacier andAurora Glacier.[2]
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This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of theUnited States Board on Geographic Names.
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link) This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of theUnited States Geological Survey.
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