Astrolabe Island
 Astrolabe Island from northwest, with the Dragons Teeth on the left, and Drumohar Peak and Rogach Peak dominating the island. | |
  Astrolabe Island Location in Antarctica | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Antarctica |
| Coordinates | 63°17′S 58°40′W / 63.283°S 58.667°W |
Astrolabe Island (63°17′S 58°40′W / 63.283°S 58.667°W) is an island 3 nautical miles (5.6 km; 3.5 mi) long, lying in the Bransfield Strait 14 nautical miles (26 km; 16 mi) northwest of Cape Ducorps, Trinity Peninsula in Antarctica.[1]
Location[edit]
Astrolabe Island is in Graham Land. It lies in the Bransfield Strait to the west-northwest of the Tupinier Islands and the Cockerell Peninsula on the north coast of the Trinity Peninsula, which itself is the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. Features include Sherell Point, Diaz Rock and the Dragons Teeth.[2][3]
Geology[edit]
Astrolabe Island is predominantly volcanic rocks, with coarse grained mafic dolerite making up most of the landing site on the east end. The steep pyramid peaks, called the Dragons Teeth, may be the vents of an old volcanic complex, probably related to the Shetland subduction zone to the north.[citation needed]
Discovery and name[edit]
Astrolabe Island was discovered by the French expedition, 1837–40, under Captain Jules Dumont d'Urville, and named by him for his chief expedition ship, the Astrolabe.[1] The island was photographed from the air and triangulated by FIDASE, 1956–57.
Features[edit]
Rocks and island features include, from west to east:
Diaz Rock[edit]
63°18′S 58°45′W / 63.300°S 58.750°W. The largest of several rocks close north of the west end of Astrolabe Island. The name was given by the first Chilean Antarctic Expedition (1947) for sub-lieutenant Joaquin Diaz Martinez.[4]
Raduil Point[edit]
63°18′14″S 58°44′55″W / 63.30389°S 58.74861°W. The point forming the northwest extremity of Astrolabe Island. Situated 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) northwest of Sherrell Point. Named after the settlement of Raduil in Southwestern Bulgaria.[5]
Sherell Point[edit]
63°18′S 58°41′W / 63.300°S 58.683°W. A point at the south end of Astrolabe Island. Named for Frederick W. Sherrell, surveyor and geologist in this area with the Falkland Islands and Dependencies Aerial Survey Expedition (FIDASE), 1955-56.[6]
Drumohar Peak[edit]
63°18′26″S 58°40′55″W / 63.30722°S 58.68194°W. The ice-covered peak rising to 553 metres (1,814 ft) high on Astrolabe Island in Graham Land. Situated 3.15 kilometres (1.96 mi) east-northeast of Raduil Point and 1.9 kilometres (1.2 mi) north-northwest of Rogach Peak. German-British mapping in 1996. Named after the settlement of Drumohar in Western Bulgaria.[7]
Rogach Peak[edit]
63°19′19″S 58°39′45″W / 63.32194°S 58.66250°W. The ice-covered peak rising to Raduil Point 562 metres (1,844 ft) high on Astrolabe Island, summit of the island. Situated 2.28 kilometres (1.42 mi) northeast of Sherell Point and 1.9 kilometres (1.2 mi) south-southeast of Drumohar Peak. German-British mapping in 1996. Named after the settlement of Rogach in Southern Bulgaria.[8]
Dragons Teeth[edit]
63°15′S 58°39′W / 63.25°S 58.65°W. A small group of rocks off the northeast part of Astrolabe Island. The name, applied by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee (UK-APC), is descriptive of these black tooth-shaped rocks.[9]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Alberts 1995, p. 31.
- ^ Graham Land and South Shetland BAS.
- ^ Trinity Peninsula AG and BAS.
- ^ Alberts 1995, p. 188.
- ^ Raduil Point SCAR.
- ^ Alberts 1995, p. 670.
- ^ Drumohar Peak SCAR.
- ^ Rogach Peak SCAR.
- ^ Alberts 1995, p. 199.
Sources[edit]
- Alberts, Fred G., ed. (1995), Geographic Names of the Antarctic (PDF) (2 ed.), United States Board on Geographic Names, retrieved 3 December 2023
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Board on Geographic Names. - "Drumohar Peak", Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica, Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research
- Graham Land and South Shetland Islands, BAS: British Antarctic Survey, 2005, retrieved 3 May 2024
- "Raduil Point", Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica, Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research
- "Rogach Peak", Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica, Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research
- Trinity Peninsula (PDF) (Scale 1:250000 topographic map No. 5697), Institut für Angewandte Geodäsie and British Antarctic Survey, 1996, archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Geological Survey.