Balleny Islands - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Balleny Islands are a series of uninhabited island

Island

An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...

s in the Southern Ocean

Southern Ocean

The Southern Ocean comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60°S latitude and encircling Antarctica. It is usually regarded as the fourth-largest of the five principal oceanic divisions...

extending from 66°15' to 67°35'S and 162°30' to 165°00'E

165th meridian east

The meridian 165° east of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole....

. The group extends for about 160 km (99 mi) in a northwest-southeast direction. The islands are heavily glaciated and are of volcanic origin. Glaciers project from their slopes into the sea. The islands were formed by the so-called Balleny hotspot

Balleny hotspot

The Balleny hotspot is a volcanic hotspot located in the Southern Ocean. The hotspot created the Balleny Islands, which forms a chain that extends for about in a northwest-southeast direction....

.

The group includes three main islands: Young

Young Island

Young Island is the northernmost and westernmost of the three main islands in the uninhabited Balleny Islands group located in the Southern Ocean...

, Buckle

Buckle Island

Buckle Island is one of the three main islands in the uninhabited Balleny Islands group located in the Southern Ocean. It lies northwest of Sturge Island and southeast of Young Island, some north-northeast of Belousov Point on the Antarctic mainland....

and Sturge

Sturge Island

Sturge Island is one of the three main islands in the uninhabited Balleny Islands group located in the Southern Ocean. It lies southeast of Buckle Island and northeast of Belousov Point on the Antarctic mainland...

, which lie in a line from northwest to southeast, and several smaller islets and rocks:

northeast of Young Island: Seal Rocks, Pillar
southeast of Young Island: Row Island, Borradaile Island
Borradaile Island
Borradaile Island is one of the Balleny Islands. It was the site of the first landing south of the Antarctic Circle, and features the "remarkable pinnacle" called Beale Pinnacle, near Cape Beale on its south-eastern coast, and Cape Scoresby on its north-western coast.-Exploration:Borradaile Island...

(with Swan Base, a shelter hut)
south of Buckle Island: Scott Cone, Chinstrap Islet, Sabrina Islet
Sabrina Island
Sabrina Island is the largest of three small islets lying southward of Buckle Island in the Balleny Islands. Sabrina Island was named after the cutter Balleny's schooner, the Eliza Scott, when the Balleny Islands were discovered in 1839.- See also :...

(with Sabrina Refuge, a shelter hut), and The Monolith

The islands and rocks from north to south

Island/Rock	Area (km²/sqmi)	highest peak (m/ft)
Young Island Young Island Young Island is the northernmost and westernmost of the three main islands in the uninhabited Balleny Islands group located in the Southern Ocean... and satellite islets
Seal Rocks	0 km² (0 sq mi)	(15 m (49.2 ft))
Pillar	0 km² (0 sq mi)	(51 m (167.3 ft))
Young Island Young Island Young Island is the northernmost and westernmost of the three main islands in the uninhabited Balleny Islands group located in the Southern Ocean...	225.4 km² (87 sq mi)	Freeman Peak (1340 m (4,396.3 ft))
Row Island	1.7 km² (0.65637366960731 sq mi)	(183 m (600.4 ft))
Borradaile Island Borradaile Island Borradaile Island is one of the Balleny Islands. It was the site of the first landing south of the Antarctic Circle, and features the "remarkable pinnacle" called Beale Pinnacle, near Cape Beale on its south-eastern coast, and Cape Scoresby on its north-western coast.-Exploration:Borradaile Island...	3.5 km² (1.4 sq mi)	(381 m (1,250 ft))
Beale Pinnacle	0 km² (0 sq mi)	(61 m (200.1 ft))
Buckle Island Buckle Island Buckle Island is one of the three main islands in the uninhabited Balleny Islands group located in the Southern Ocean. It lies northwest of Sturge Island and southeast of Young Island, some north-northeast of Belousov Point on the Antarctic mainland.... and satellite islets
Buckle Island Buckle Island Buckle Island is one of the three main islands in the uninhabited Balleny Islands group located in the Southern Ocean. It lies northwest of Sturge Island and southeast of Young Island, some north-northeast of Belousov Point on the Antarctic mainland....	123.6 km² (47.7 sq mi)	(1238 m (4,061.7 ft))
Scott Cone	0 km² (0 sq mi)	(31 m (101.7 ft))
Eliza Cone	0 km² (0 sq mi)	(67 m (219.8 ft))
Chinstrap Islet	0 km² (0 sq mi)
Sabrina Island Sabrina Island Sabrina Island is the largest of three small islets lying southward of Buckle Island in the Balleny Islands. Sabrina Island was named after the cutter Balleny's schooner, the Eliza Scott, when the Balleny Islands were discovered in 1839.- See also :...	0.2 km² (0.077220431718507 sq mi)	(90 m (295.3 ft))
The Monolith	0.1 km² (0.0386102158592535 sq mi)	(79 m (259.2 ft))
Sturge Island Sturge Island Sturge Island is one of the three main islands in the uninhabited Balleny Islands group located in the Southern Ocean. It lies southeast of Buckle Island and northeast of Belousov Point on the Antarctic mainland... (no satellite islets)
Sturge Island Sturge Island Sturge Island is one of the three main islands in the uninhabited Balleny Islands group located in the Southern Ocean. It lies southeast of Buckle Island and northeast of Belousov Point on the Antarctic mainland...	437.4 km² (168.9 sq mi)	Brown Peak Brown Peak (Sturge Island) Brown Peak is the highest point of the Balleny Islands. It is situated on the northern part of Sturge Island, near East Antarctica. A stratovolcano, Brown Peak is considered to belong to the Balleny Islands Ranges, a subset of the Wilkes Land Coast Ranges... (1705 m (5,593.8 ft) or 1524 m (5,000 ft))

The Antarctic Circle

Antarctic Circle

The Antarctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs south of the Equator.-Description:...

is close to Borradaile Island

Borradaile Island

Borradaile Island is one of the Balleny Islands. It was the site of the first landing south of the Antarctic Circle, and features the "remarkable pinnacle" called Beale Pinnacle, near Cape Beale on its south-eastern coast, and Cape Scoresby on its north-western coast.-Exploration:Borradaile Island...

, in the eight kilometre channel between Young and Buckle Islands. Buckle Island and the nearby Sabrina Islet

Sabrina Island

Sabrina Island is the largest of three small islets lying southward of Buckle Island in the Balleny Islands. Sabrina Island was named after the cutter Balleny's schooner, the Eliza Scott, when the Balleny Islands were discovered in 1839.- See also :...

are home to several colonies of Adelie

Adelie Penguin

The Adélie Penguin, Pygoscelis adeliae, is a species of penguin common along the entire Antarctic coast. They are among the most southerly distributed of all seabirds, as are the Emperor Penguin, the South Polar Skua, the Wilson's Storm Petrel, the Snow Petrel, and the Antarctic Petrel...

and Chinstrap penguin

Chinstrap Penguin

The Chinstrap Penguin is a species of penguin which is found in the South Sandwich Islands, Antarctica, the South Orkneys, South Shetland, South Georgia, Bouvet Island and Balleny...

s.

The English whaling

Whale

Whale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...

captains John Balleny

John Balleny

John Balleny was the English captain of a whaling schooner, the Eliza Scott, who led an exploration cruise for the English whaling firm Samuel Enderby & Sons to the Antarctic in 1838-1839....

and Thomas Freeman first sighted the group during 1839: Freeman was the first person to land on any of the islands on February 9, 1839, and it was the first landing south of the Antarctic Circle

Antarctic Circle

The Antarctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs south of the Equator.-Description:...

. The islands' area totals 400 square kilometre and the highest point reaches 1705 m (5,594 ft) or 1524 m (5,000 ft) (the unclimbed Brown Peak

Brown Peak (Sturge Island)

Brown Peak is the highest point of the Balleny Islands. It is situated on the northern part of Sturge Island, near East Antarctica. A stratovolcano, Brown Peak is considered to belong to the Balleny Islands Ranges, a subset of the Wilkes Land Coast Ranges...

on Sturge Island

Sturge Island

).

The islands are part of the Ross Dependency

Ross Dependency

The Ross Dependency is a region of Antarctica defined by a sector originating at the South Pole, passing along longitudes 160° east to 150° west, and terminating at latitude 60° south...

, claimed by New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

(see Antarctic territorial claims).

Geology

In the archipelago

Archipelago

An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...

, the Buckle, Sturge and Young Islands are examples of stratovolcano

Stratovolcano

A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a tall, conical volcano built up by many layers of hardened lava, tephra, pumice, and volcanic ash. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile and periodic, explosive eruptions...

es. Strong earthquakes very close to the islands are rare, but tremors of moderate strength do occur over the Pacific–Antarctic Ridge, Macquarie Triple Junction

Macquarie Triple Junction

The Macquarie Triple Junction is a geologic triple junction located at on the seafloor of the South Pacific Ocean south of New Zealand. It is named for nearby Macquarie Island.Three major tectonic plates meet at this triple junction:* Indo-Australian Plate...

and Pacific Rim

Pacific Rim

The Pacific Rim refers to places around the edge of the Pacific Ocean. The term "Pacific Basin" includes the Pacific Rim and islands in the Pacific Ocean...

between the Balleny Islands and Macquarie Island

Macquarie Island

Macquarie Island lies in the southwest corner of the Pacific Ocean, about half-way between New Zealand and Antarctica, at 54°30S, 158°57E. Politically, it has formed part of the Australian state of Tasmania since 1900 and became a Tasmanian State Reserve in 1978. In 1997 it became a world heritage...

. Other earthquakes occur near the Southeast Indian Ridge

Southeast Indian Ridge

The Southeast Indian Ridge is a divergent tectonic plate boundary located along the seafloor of the southern Indian Ocean. It separates the Indo-Australian Plate to the north from the Antarctic Plate to the south...

and Balleny Fracture Zone

Balleny Fracture Zone

Balleny Fracture Zone is an undersea fracture zone that extends south towards the Balleny Islands. The name was approved by the Advisory Committee for Undersea Features in December 1971....

, including a magnitude 8.1 earthquake in 1998 that struck just over 700 km (435 mi) west-northwest of the Islands.