O'Reilly Island
O'Reilly Island is located in Nunavut
O'Reilly Island
O'Reilly Island
Geography
LocationQueen Maud Gulf[1]
Coordinates68°02′13″N 98°58′53″W / 68.03694°N 98.98139°W / 68.03694; -98.98139
ArchipelagoArctic Archipelago
Area34.6 km2 (13.4 sq mi)
Administration
Canada
TerritoryNunavut

O'Reilly Island is an uninhabited island in Nunavut Territory, Canada.[1] It lies to the south of King William Island and to the west of the Klutschak and Adelaide Peninsulas, in the easternmost part of the Queen Maud Gulf.

History

The island and especially the islet to the northwest was extensively used by the Thule and later Inuit peoples to hunt seal and caribou.[2]

The wreck of HMS Erebus from Franklin's lost expedition was discovered just west of O'Reilly Island in Queen Maud Gulf, in September 2014.[3][4] However, Nancy Anilniliak, the Field Unit Superintendent of the Nunavut Field Unit, has restricted access to a rectangular area in Wilmot and Crampton Bay, to the west of the Adelaide Peninsula and about 25 km (16 mi) northeast of O'Reilly Island. The area runs from Point A (68°14′44.8″N 98°52′22.3″W / 68.245778°N 98.872861°W / 68.245778; -98.872861 (point A)) to Point B (68°17′44.2″N 98°40′17.9″W / 68.295611°N 98.671639°W / 68.295611; -98.671639 (point B)) to Point C (68°13′15.4″N 98°32′16.2″W / 68.220944°N 98.537833°W / 68.220944; -98.537833 (point C)) to Point D (68°10′16.5″N 98°44′19.3″W / 68.171250°N 98.738694°W / 68.171250; -98.738694 (point D)).[5]

References

  1. 1 2 "Map of O'Reilly Island, Nunavut, Island – Canada Geographical Names with Maps".
  2. "Archaeology Reports: Central Arctic". Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre. 1997. Retrieved 12 Sep 2014.
  3. Chase, Steven (9 September 2014). "Finding of Franklin ship fuels Harper's new nationalism". The Globe and Mail. Ottawa. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  4. "Franklin expedition ship found in Arctic ID'd as HMS Erebus". CBC News. 1 October 2014. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  5. Restricted area and activities in The Wrecks Of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror National Historic Site Of Canada


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