23-503: The Havre Mountains ( 69°8′S 71°40′W / 69.133°S 71.667°W / -69.133; -71.667 ) are a large group of mountains forming the northwestern extremity of Alexander Island , Antarctica , extending 20 nautical miles (37 km) in an east–west direction between Cape Vostok and the Russian Gap . They were first seen in 1821 by a Russian expedition under Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and re-sighted by
46-430: A 250 kilometers (160 miles) long by 30 kilometers (19 miles) wide belt along the eastern coast. This Fossil Bluff Group consists of a basal deep-marine assemblage 2,200 meters (7,200 feet) thick, overlain by a mudstone assemblage up to 950 meters (3,120 feet) thick, followed by a shallow-marine assemblage of coarsening upward sandstones . Alkali basalts erupted after the cessation of subduction. These range in age from
69-764: A few ice-free areas of significant size, including Ablation Point Massif. The nunataks are the peaks of north–south trending mountain ranges and hills. They include the Colbert , Havre , Lassus , Rouen , Sofia University , and Walton Mountains , the Staccato Peaks , the Lully Foothills , the Finlandia Foothills , the Elgar Uplands , and the Douglas Range . These mountains, peaks, hills, and uplands are surrounded by
92-606: A permanent ice sheet, which consists of glaciers that flow off of Alexander Island. These glaciers flow west into the Bach and Wilkins Ice Shelves and Bellingshausen Sea, and east into the George VI Ice Shelf. The George VI Ice Shelf is fed by both by outlet glaciers from the ice cap on Palmer Land and Alexander Island. Another notable feature of Alexander Island is Hodgson Lake , a former subglacial lake that has emerged from under an ice sheet that had covered it. Hodgson Lake
115-483: A thorough and systematic investigation of the local geology. Fossil Bluff capacity is four people, but when occupied is inhabited by two or three. Fossil Bluff is a forward-operating facility for refuelling aircraft and is operated by Rothera station during the Antarctic summer season between October and March. There is a 1,200-metre (3,900 ft) unprepared skiway marked by drums 1 kilometre (0.6 mi) south of
138-480: Is 2 km (1.2 mi) long by 1.5 km (0.93 mi), and has a 93.4 m (306 ft) deep water column that lies sealed beneath a 3.6 to 4.0 m (11.8 to 13.1 ft) thick perennial lake ice. The northern side of Hodgson Lake is bounded by the Saturn Glacier , which flows east into George VI Sound, while the southern side of Hodgson Lake is bounded by the northern face of Citadel Bastion . During
161-678: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Alexander Island Alexander Island , which is also known as Alexander I Island , Alexander I Land , Alexander Land , Alexander I Archipelago , and Zemlja Alexandra I , is the largest island of Antarctica . It lies in the Bellingshausen Sea west of Palmer Land , Antarctic Peninsula from which it is separated by Marguerite Bay and George VI Sound . The George VI Ice Shelf entirely fills George VI Sound and connects Alexander Island to Palmer Land. The island partly surrounds Wilkins Sound , which lies to its west. Alexander Island
184-616: Is a broad snow-covered peninsula surmounted by Mount Lee , between Verdi Inlet and Brahms Inlet on the north side of the Beethoven Peninsula , located in the southwest portion of Alexander Island, Antarctica . It is one of eight peninsulas of Alexander Island. It was photographed from the air by the RARE, 1947–48, and mapped from these photographs by D. Searle of the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey , 1960. It
207-420: Is about 390 kilometres (240 mi) long in a north–south direction, 80 kilometres (50 mi) wide in the north, and 240 kilometres (150 mi) wide in the south. Alexander Island is the second-largest uninhabited island in the world, after Devon Island . Alexander Island was discovered on January 28, 1821, by a Russian expedition under Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen , who named it Alexander I Land for
230-420: Is an ice-filled inlet , 25 nautical miles (46 km) long and 6 nautical miles (11 km) wide, indenting the north side of Beethoven Peninsula on Alexander Island between Harris Peninsula and Derocher Peninsula , while the headland Mazza Point lies immediately northeast of the inlet and Mount Grieg lies immediately southeast of the base of Brahms Inlet. It was observed from the air and first mapped by
253-978: The Belgian Antarctic Expedition , 1897–99. They were roughly charted by the French Antarctic Expedition, 1908–10 , under Jean-Baptiste Charcot , who named them for Le Havre , the French port from which the Pourquol Pas? sailed in 1908. The mountains were mapped in detail from air photos taken by the Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition , 1947–48, by D. Searle of the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey in 1960. [REDACTED] This article incorporates public domain material from "Havre Mountains" . Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey . This Alexander Island location article
SECTION 10
#1732847924153276-587: The Last Glacial Maximum , Hodgson Lake was covered by the ice sheet at least 470 m (1,540 ft) thick. This ice sheet started thinning about 13,500 years ago. It retreated and left Hodgson Lake covered by perennial ice sometime before 11,000 years ago. This lake has been covered by perennial ice since that time. Other features on the island include Damocles Point and Mount Tyrrell . Brahms Inlet ( 71°28′S 73°41′W / 71.467°S 73.683°W / -71.467; -73.683 )
299-527: The Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition (RARE), 1947–48, and re-mapped from the RARE air photos by Derek J.H. Searle of the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey in 1960. It was named by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee after Johannes Brahms , the German composer. Harris Peninsula ( 71°31′S 74°6′W / 71.517°S 74.100°W / -71.517; -74.100 )
322-632: The tephrites at Mount Pinafore (5.5–7.6 Ma), to the basanites at Rothschild Island (5.5 Ma) and Hornpipe Heights (2.5 Ma), to the alkali and olivine basalts on Beethoven Peninsula (<1-2.5 Ma). The LeMay Range Fault trends N-S, parallel to the George VI Sound , and the Fossil Bluff Formation is downfaulted to the east of this fault against the LeMay Group. Sand dykes are found against this fault zone and in many other parts of
345-479: The Fossil Bay Formation. Fossils within the Fossil Bluff Formation include ammonites , belemnites , bivalves , and serpulids . [REDACTED] Islands portal [REDACTED] Geography portal 71°00′S 70°00′W / 71.000°S 70.000°W / -71.000; -70.000 Fossil Bluff Fossil Bluff is a seasonal British aircraft refuelling station located on
368-572: The east coast of Alexander Island in Antarctica. In operation since 1961, its facilities provide fuel, storage, and ancillary support for British exploration and operations during the summer season, October through March. The site is adjacent to a natural, north–south travelling route along the George VI Ice Shelf . Fossil Bluff is a collection of buildings and facilities, at the centre of which lies Fossil Bluff Station. Fossil Bluff hut sits at
391-448: The foot of a scree -covered ridge overlooking George VI Sound which separates mountainous Alexander Island from Palmer Land . George VI Ice Shelf occupies the sound and provides a north–south route for travelling parties except in high summer when the ice shelf's surface is flooded with meltwater. To the west and north-west lie Planet Heights , an extensive range of mountains rising to over 1,500 metres (4,900 ft). Immediately to
414-644: The reigning Tsar Alexander I of Russia . What, in fact, is an island, was believed to be part of the Antarctic mainland until 1940. Its insular nature was proven in December 1940, by a two-person sledge party composed of Finn Ronne and Carl Eklund of the United States Antarctic Service . In the 1950s, a British base administered as part of the British Antarctic Territory was constructed as Fossil Bluff ( Base KG ). The island
437-485: The west lies Giza Peak and the snow-free Promenade Screes. The Screes are criss-crossed with pathways, and are frequently the destination of short walks from the nearby field station. The base has been in use intermittently since 20 February 1961. Occupied during the winters of 1961, 1962, and 1969–75, it has been used every summer since 1975. The first people to overwinter in 1961 were Cliff Pearce and John Smith (meteorologists) and Brian Taylor (geologist) who carried out
460-399: The western portion of the island. The LeMay Group consists of variably-deformed and metamorphosed sedimentary and igneous rocks. Although it is dominated by deformed arkosic sedimentary rocks, it includes turbiditic greywackes , black mudstones, and conglomerates . The 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) thick Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous Fossil Bluff Group sedimentary rocks outcrop as
483-635: Was claimed by the United Kingdom in 1908 as part of the British Antarctic Territory . Territorial claims have also been set by both Chile (in 1940) and Argentina (in 1942). Currently, under the Antarctic Treaty no claim has been officially recognized. The island contains the British Fossil Bluff meteorological centre and refuelling base. The surface of Alexander Island is predominantly ice-covered. There exist some exposed nunataks and
SECTION 20
#1732847924153506-473: Was named by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names for Commander Michael J. Harris , U.S. Navy , Commanding Officer of Squadron VXE-6 , from May 1982 to May 1983. Lyadov Glacier ( 71°32′00″S 73°45′00″W / 71.53333°S 73.75000°W / -71.53333; -73.75000 ) is a glacier flowing east-northeast from Harris Peninsula , Alexander Island, into Brahms Inlet . It
529-593: Was named by the USSR Academy of Sciences in 1987 after Anatoly Lyadov (1855–1914), a Russian composer. According to Hole, "The geology of Alexander Island can be attributed mainly to processes associated with the subduction of proto-Pacific oceanic crust along the western margin of the Antarctic Peninsula, from latest Triassic to Late Tertiary times." The LeMay Group accretionary prism complex, along with plutonic and volcanic rocks, are prevalent along
#152847