![]() Black Island and Skidoos at sunset | |
![]() ![]() Black Island Location in Antarctica | |
Geography | |
---|---|
Location | Antarctica |
Coordinates | 78°14′S 166°20′E / 78.233°S 166.333°E |
Archipelago | Ross Archipelago |
Length | 12 mi (19 km) |
Highest elevation | 1,041 m (3415 ft) |
Administration | |
Administered under the Antarctic Treaty System | |
Demographics | |
Population | Uninhabited |
Black Island (78°14′S 166°20′E / 78.233°S 166.333°E), in the Ross Archipelago, is immediately west of White Island. It was first named by the Discovery Expedition (1901–04) because of its lack of snow.[1][2] The island's northernmost point is named Cape Hodgson, commemorating Thomas Vere Hodgson, one of the oldest members of the Discovery Expedition.[3]
The highest point is Mount Aurora, a principal radio relay point.[1][4] Mt. Aurora was named between 1958-1959 for the Aurora, one of the ships on Shackleton's Expedition.[5] On the minor peak of Mount Melania[1] is the principal earth-based ground-station for the US Antarctic Program.[4]
Black Island is volcanic in origin, consisting of a series of trachytic lava domes and basaltic pyroclastic cones.[1] Potassium–argon dating of Black Island volcanic rocks has given ages ranging from 1.69 to 3.8 million years.[1][6] There are three main geological formations representing three eruptive sequences on Black Island: Nubian Basalt Formation, Aurora Trachyte Formation, and Melania Basalt Formation.[1] The lack of snow is not due to volcanic activity but rather the fact that it is protected from wind by nearby Minna Bluff.[7]

See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kyle, P.R. (1990). "A. McMurdo Volcanic Group Western Ross Embayment". In LeMasurier, W.E.; Thomson, J.W.; Baker, P.E.; Kyle, P.R.; Rowley, P.D.; Smellie, J.L.; Verwoerd, W.J. (eds.). Volcanoes of the Antarctic Plate and Southern Oceans. Antarctic Research Series. Vol. 48. Washington, D. C.: American Geophysical Union. pp. 113–116. doi:10.1029/ar048. ISBN 978-0-87590-172-5. Archived from the original on 2021-08-02. Retrieved 2021-08-02.
- ↑ "Black Island". SCAR Composite Gazetteer. Archived from the original on 2021-08-02. Retrieved 2021-08-02.
- ↑ "Thomas Vere Hodgson - Biographical notes". Cool Antarctica. Archived from the original on June 14, 2011. Retrieved January 13, 2010.
- 1 2 "Black Island". www.southpolestation.com. Archived from the original on 2019-04-24. Retrieved 2021-08-02.
- ↑ "Mount Aurora". Gazetteer - AADC. Archived from the original on 2014-03-02. Retrieved 2021-08-02.
- ↑ "Black Island". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
- ↑ "Black Island". Gazetteer - AADC. Archived from the original on 2014-03-04. Retrieved 2021-08-02.