Mellona Rocks is a group of scattered rocks lying at the north entrance to Nelson Strait

Nelson Strait

Nelson Strait is the 9 km long and 9.8 km wide strait lying between Robert Island and Nelson Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. The strait was explored by early 19th century sealers and first charted by Nathaniel Palmer in 1821...

 in the South Shetland Islands

South Shetland Islands

The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands, lying about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, with a total area of . By the Antarctic Treaty of 1959, the Islands' sovereignty is neither recognized nor disputed by the signatories and they are free for use by any signatory for...

, Antarctica and exteding 1.7 by. The area was known to the early 19th century sealers

Seal hunting

Seal hunting, or sealing, is the personal or commercial hunting of seals. The hunt is currently practiced in five countries: Canada, where most of the world's seal hunting takes place, Namibia, the Danish region of Greenland, Norway and Russia...

 and sometimes included under the names 'Heywood Islands' or 'Powels Islands'.

The feature is named after the British sealing ship Mellona under Captain Thomas Johnson that operated in the South Shetlands in 1821-22.

Location

The rocks are centred at 62°17′49.3"S 59°29′43.6"W which is 4.63 km (2.9 mi) north-northeast of Newell Point

Newell Point

Newell Point is the rocky point forming the northeast extremity of Robert Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica and is a northwest entrance point of Nelson Strait....

, Robert Island

Robert Island (South Shetland Islands)

Robert Island or Mitchells Island or Polotsk Island or Roberts Island is an island long and wide, situated between Nelson Island and Greenwich Island in the South Shetland Islands. Robert Island is located at . Surface area...

, 4.79 km (3 mi) east-northeast of the midpoint of Opaka Rocks

Opaka Rocks

Opaka Rocks are a group of rocks with the principal one situated north of Henfield Rock, east of Pordim Islands and 4.79 km west by south of Mellona Rocks off the north coast of Robert Island, South Shetland Islands. Bulgarian early early mapping in 2009...

, 13.1 km (8.14 mi) west of Harmony Point

Harmony Point

Harmony Point is a point which lies close west of Harmony Cove and forms the west extremity of Nelson Island, in the South Shetland Islands. Charted in 1935 by DI personnel on the Discovery II. Named from association with Harmony Cove.-References:* ....

, Nelson Island

Nelson Island (South Shetland Islands)

Nelson Island is an island long and wide, lying southwest of King George Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. Nelson Island is located at...

 and 2.35 km (1.5 mi) northwest of Liberty Rocks

Liberty Rocks

Liberty Rocks is a group of four prominent adjacent rocks lying at the north entrance to Nelson Strait in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica and exteding...

 (British mapping in 1822, 1962 and 1968, Chilean in 1961 and 1971, Argentine in 1980, and Bulgarian in 2009).

See also

• Composite Antarctic Gazetteer
• List of Antarctic islands south of 60° S
• SCAR
  Scar
  Scars are areas of fibrous tissue that replace normal skin after injury. A scar results from the biological process of wound repair in the skin and other tissues of the body. Thus, scarring is a natural part of the healing process. With the exception of very minor lesions, every wound results in...
  
  
• Territorial claims in Antarctica

Maps

• Chart of South Shetland including Coronation Island, &c. from the exploration of the sloop Dove in the years 1821 and 1822 by George Powell Commander of the same. Scale ca. 1:200000. London: Laurie, 1822.
• L.L. Ivanov. Antarctica: Livingston Island and Greenwich, Robert, Snow and Smith Islands. Scale 1:120000 topographic map. Troyan: Manfred Wörner Foundation, 2009. ISBN 978-954-92032-6-4

External links

• Composite Antarctic Gazetteer.