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23-439: This archipelago consists of Jeannette Island , Henrietta Island , Bennett Island , Vilkitsky Island and Zhokhov Island . These five islands have a total area of 228 km². Bennett Island is the largest island and it also has the archipelago's highest point at 426 m. These islands lie around 77°N, are partially covered by glaciers , and rise to peaks. In 1996, the total area of these islands covered by ice caps and glaciers

46-632: A sandy or silty matrix. The poorly rounded and sharp-edged pebbles forming the breccia consist mainly of andesitic volcanic rocks. The next overlying layer consists of 50 m (164 ft) of fine-grained volcaniclastic turbidites and minor tuffaceous breccias. The breccias consists of angular to sub-angular pebbles of volcanic rocks (andesite, dacite and occasionally basaltic andesite). The uppermost layer of sedimentary rocks, exposed in these seaclifts, consists of 150 m (492 ft) of predominantly coarse-grained volcaniclastic turbidites. The bedding within these volcanoclastic rocks dip steeply towards

69-810: The Vaygach approached Jeannette Island with the intention of mapping Jeannette and Henrietta Islands, but heavy ice blocked the approach. In 1916 the Russian ambassador in London issued an official notice to the effect that the Imperial government considered Henrietta, along with other Arctic islands, integral parts of the Russian Empire . This territorial claim was later maintained by the Soviet Union . Some U.S. individuals assert American ownership of Jeannette Island, and others of

92-585: The Arctic Ocean and East Siberian Sea . At this plain's greatest extent during the Last Glacial Maximum, sea level was 100–120 m below modern sea level and the coastline was located 700 to 1,000 kilometres (430–620 miles) north of its current position. This plain was neither extensively glaciated during the Late Pleistocene nor during the Last Glacial Maximum because it lay in the rain shadow of

115-686: The Laptev Sea , searching for the legendary Sannikov Land (Zemlya Sannikova) but was soon blocked by floating pack ice in the New Siberian Islands . During 1902 the attempts to reach Sannikov Land, deemed to be beyond the De Long Islands, continued while Zarya was trapped in fast ice. Leaving the ship, Russian Arctic explorer Baron Eduard Toll and three companions vanished forever in November 1902 while travelling away from Bennett Island towards

138-757: The Naval Academy in Saint Petersburg in 1908. He participated in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905. In 1913—1915 he led the Arctic hydrographic expedition on the ships "Taimyr" and "Vaigach" with the purpose of further exploration of the Northern Sea Route . In 1913, Vilkitsky's expedition discovered Emperor Nicholas II Land ( Russian : Земля Императора Николая II , Zemlya Imperatora Nikolaya II ) —later renamed 'Severnaya Zemlya', perhaps one of

161-588: The Russian Federation . Jeannette is the second smallest island of the De Long group, being only 2 km (1.2 mi) in length. It has an area of approximately 3.3 km (1.3 sq mi). The island surface is mainly covered by a central ice cap and firn . The highest peak of the island is in the middle of the ice cap, reaching a height of 351 m (1,152 ft). A second subordinate peak reaches an elevation of 225 m (738 ft). On all sides,

184-576: The USS ; Jeannette , hoping to reach Wrangel Island and to discover open seas in the Arctic Ocean near the North Pole . However, the ship entered an ice pack near Herald Island in September 1879 and became trapped. The vessel drifted several hundred miles with the ice, passing north of Wrangel Island. In May 1881 it approached Jeannette Island and Henrietta Island . According to The Annual Report of

207-591: The De Long Islands are Neogene basaltic volcanic rocks. The De Long Islands were once major hills within the Great Arctic Plain that once formed the northern part of Late Pleistocene “ Beringia ” between Siberia and Alaska during the Last Glacial Maximum (Late Weichselian Epoch). These islands are what remains of about 1.6 million square kilometres (620 thousand square miles) of the formally subaerial Great Arctic Plain that now lies submerged below

230-640: The De Long group, based on the 1881 discovery. However, the United States government has not pursued De Long's claim to Jeannette Island, and recognizes it as Russian territory. Boris Vilkitsky Boris Andreyevich Vilkitsky ( Russian : Бори́с Андре́евич Вильки́цкий ) (22 March (3 April N.S. ) 1885, Pulkovo – 6 March 1961) was a Russian hydrographer and surveyor . He was the son of Andrey Ippolitovich Vilkitsky . Born in Pulkovo, Tsarskoselsky Uyezd (now part of Saint Petersburg ), Vilkitsky graduated from

253-595: The De Long group. This assertion is not supported by the US government. Following their discovery in 1881, De Long claimed these islands for the U.S. and reported to the United States Department of the Navy that a party had landed on Henrietta Island and taken possession. During 1916 the Russian ambassador in London issued an official notice to the effect that the Imperial government considered these islands were integral parts of

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276-720: The Northern European ice sheet. The Great Arctic Plain was submerged, except for the New Siberian and other isolated islands, within a relatively short time span of 7,000 years during the Early-Middle Holocene. During the extremely frigid polar climate of the Last Glacial Maximum (Late Weichselian Epoch), 17,000 to 24,000 BP, small passive ice caps did form on the De Long Islands. Fragments of these ice caps are preserved on Jeannette, Henrietta, and Bennett Islands. Traces of former Late Weichselian slope and cirque glaciers in

299-621: The Russian Empire. This territorial claim was later maintained by the Soviet Union . A resolution of the Alaska State Senate in 1988 supported an American claim to the islands, but during 1994 the Alaska State Supreme Court ruled in D. Denardo v. State of Alaska that Bennett Island, along with several other islands, is not part of Alaska. The United States Department of State has asserted that claim has never been made by

322-613: The Secretary of the Navy, for the Year 1882 , "A sled party landed [on Henrietta Island], hoisted the national ensign, and took possession in the name of the United States. The excursion, led by George W. Melville , landed on June 2 or 3, constructed a cairn, and placed inside it a record of their visit. During the Imperial Russian Arctic Ocean Hydrographic Expedition of 1910–1915 led by Boris Vilkitsky ,

345-535: The United States to any of the islands, and the US recognizes it as Russian territory. Jeannette Island Jeannette Island (Russian: Остров Жанне́тты , romanized : Ostrov Zhannetty ; Yakut : Жаннетта Aрыыта , romanized:  Jannetta Arııta ) is the easternmost island of the De Long Islands archipelago in the East Siberian Sea . Administratively it belongs to Yakutia of

368-498: The east-northeast. The bedding is deformed by similar folds accompanied by cleavage and east-dipping thrust faults with displacements of few tens of meters. The bedding is also offset by normal faults inclined to the east and intruded by northwest trending dolerite dikes. It was discovered in 1881 by the Jeannette Expedition , commanded by Lieutenant Commander George W. De Long . The expedition set out in 1879 aboard

391-420: The exposed layers consists of 125 m (410 ft) of fine-grained volcaniclastic turbidites, occasionally interbedded with thin layers of coarse-grained sandstone and pebbly sandstone. The middle part of this layer exhibits slump structures and convolute bedding along with a few lava flows and layers of bright red tuff. Overlying the lowermost layer, is 160 m (525 ft) of tuffaceous breccias with

414-518: The form of buried ground ice deposits are preserved on Zhokhov Island. Jeannette Island, Henrietta Island, and Bennett Island were discovered in 1881 by the ill-fated Jeannette Expedition , named after the USS  Jeannette , and commanded by Lieutenant Commander George W. De Long . In August 1901, during the Russian polar expedition of 1900–1902 , the Russian Arctic ship Zarya headed across

437-466: The most important Russian discoveries in the Arctic at the time. Other discoveries were an island that now bears his name ( Vilkitsky Island ), as well as the islands of Maly Taymyr and neighboring Starokadomsky . In 1914–1915, Vilkitsky's expedition made the first through voyage from Vladivostok to Arkhangelsk , discovered Novopashenniy Island (now Zhokhov Island ), and described the eastern coastline of

460-752: The shores of the island consist of 100–350 m (328–1,148 ft) high, continuous, and rocky seacliffs that are higher and steeper in the southern and southeastern part and shallower in the northern part. The most accessible and extensive exposure of bedrock is along the southwestern coast. These seacliffs expose a thick succession of Upper Cambrian volcaniclastic rocks which contain subordinate beds of tuffs and dacitic and andesitic lava flows . The volcanoclastic rocks are penetrated by mafic dikes and sills . These sedimentary rocks consist generally of both fine- and coarse-grained volcaniclastic turbidites with thick beds of volcaniclastic breccias which can divided into four layers. The lowermost of

483-463: The south on loose ice floes. Vilkitsky Island (East Siberian Sea) and Zhokhov Island were discovered by Boris Vilkitsky during the Imperial Russian Arctic Ocean Hydrographic Expedition in 1913 and 1914 respectively. They lie slightly further south (around 76°N), are unglaciated, and lower lying. Henrietta was the site of a research station from 1937 to 1963. Some US individuals assert American ownership of Jeannette, Henrietta and Bennet Islands in

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506-624: The territory he named 'Emperor Nicholas II Land'. He was awarded the prestigious Constantine Medal by the Russian Geographical Society for his endeavours. In 1918, Vilkitsky was appointed head of the first Soviet hydrographic expedition, which never took place due to its seizure by the North Russia intervention in Arkhangelsk. In 1920, Vilkitsky emigrated to Britain . In 1923 and 1924, Vilkitsky led commercial expeditions in

529-712: Was 80.6 km². This island group belongs to the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic administrative division of Russia. Early Paleozoic , Middle Paleozoic, Cretaceous , and Neogene rocks have been mapped within the De Long Islands. The Early Paleozoic rocks are Cambrian and Ordovician sedimentary rocks interbedded with minor amounts of limestone . The Middle Paleozoic rocks consist of predominately folded and faulted basaltic , andesitic , and dioritic volcanoclastics, tuffs , lavas , dikes , and sills . Cretaceous rocks are composed of basalts and interbedded argillites , sandstones and minor coals . The youngest rocks exposed within

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