Dickens Rocks

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The Dickens Rocks ( 65°19′S65°23′W / 65.317°S 65.383°W / -65.317; -65.383 Coordinates: 65°19′S65°23′W / 65.317°S 65.383°W / -65.317; -65.383 ) are two rocks lying at the north end of the Pitt Islands, in the Biscoe Islands. They were photographed by Hunting Aerosurveys Ltd in 1956, and mapped from these photos by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey. They were named by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee in 1959 for Charles Dickens, the English novelist. A number of other features in the Pitt Islands are named after characters in his The Pickwick Papers . [1]

Geographic coordinate system Coordinate system

A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position and two or three of the numbers represent a horizontal position; alternatively, a geographic position may be expressed in a combined three-dimensional Cartesian vector. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation. To specify a location on a plane requires a map projection.

Pitt Islands island

Pitt Islands is a group of small islands lying immediately off the N extremity of Renaud Island, at the N end of the Biscoe Islands. The name "Pitt's Island," for William Pitt, British statesman, was applied by John Biscoe in 1832 to an island which he erroneously charted as lying about 25 miles West North West of these islands. The present application of Pitt Islands is based on the interpretation of the BGLE under Rymill, who charted the island group in 1935-36.

Biscoe Islands archipelago

Biscoe Islands is a series of islands, of which the principal ones are Renaud, Lavoisier, Watkins, Krogh, Pickwick and Rabot, lying parallel to the west coast of Graham Land and extending 150 km (81 nmi) between Southwind Passage on the northeast and Matha Strait on the southwest. Another group of islands are the Adolph Islands.

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Simpson Rocks

Simpson Rocks is a group consisting of a rock, 10 m high, surrounded by sunken rocks, lying 5 nautical miles (9 km) northeast of Cape Melville, King George Island, in the South Shetland Islands. The name "Simpsons Islands" appears on a chart of 1825 by British sealer James Weddell, but the term "rocks" is considered more descriptive than "islands".

Bardell Rock is a rock nearly 1 nautical mile (1.9 km) south of Dickens Rocks in the Pitt Islands, northern Biscoe Islands. It was named by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee in 1971 after Mrs. Bardell, a character in Charles Dickens' The Pickwick Papers.

Buls Bay is a bay 2 nautical miles (4 km) wide, which indents the east side of Brabant Island just north of D'Ursel Point, in the Palmer Archipelago. It was discovered by the Belgian Antarctic Expedition under Gerlache, 1897–99, and named by him for Charles Buls, a supporter of the expedition.

Buzfuz Rock is a rock 1.5 nautical miles (3 km) west of Snubbin Island in the Pitt Islands, northern Biscoe Islands. It was named by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee in 1971 after Sergeant Buzfuz, a character in Charles Dickens' The Pickwick Papers.

Orheim Point headland

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The Darbel Islands are a group of islands and rocks extending southwest from Cape Bellue for 5 nautical miles (9 km) across the entrance to Darbel Bay, off the west coast of Graham Land. They were charted in 1930 by Discovery Investigations personnel on the Discovery II and named Marin Darbel Islands after the bay in which they were found. Both names have since been shortened by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee.

Jinks Island is an island lying 5 nautical miles (9 km) north of Pickwick Island, in the Pitt Islands of the Biscoe Islands, Antarctica. Shown on an Argentine government chart of 1957, it was named by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee in 1959 after Mr. Jinks, a character in Charles Dickens' The Pickwick Papers.

Dickens Peak

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Trundle Island is an island lying 1 nautical mile (1.9 km) northeast of Jingle Island, Pitt Islands, in the Biscoe Islands. Photographed by Hunting Aerosurveys Ltd. in 1956 and mapped from these photos by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS). Named by the United Kingdom Antarctic Place-Names Committee (UK-APC) in 1959 after Mr Trundle, a character in Charles Dickens' Pickwick Papers.

The Pointers

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Moe Point is a point consisting of a small bare rock bluff, located just south of Croom Glacier on the northwest side of Smith Inlet, in Palmer Land, Antarctica. It was mapped by the United States Geological Survey in 1974, and was named by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names for Richard Moe, a United States Antarctic Research Program biologist at Palmer Station in 1974.

Fizkin Island

Fizkin Island is an island lying 2.5 nautical miles (5 km) southeast of Pickwick Island and 900 m southeast of Arrowsmith Island, Pitt Islands in the Biscoe Islands, Antarctica. The island was shown on an Argentine government chart of 1957, and named by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee in 1959 after Horatio Fizkin, Esquire, a character in Charles Dickens' The Pickwick Papers.

Franca Glacier named after Dr. Fernando E. Franca, is a glacier in Antarctica, flowing northeast into the head of Solberg Inlet, Bowman Coast, to the south of Houser Peak. The glacier was photographed from the air by the United States Antarctic Service, 1940, and the U.S. Navy, 1966. It was surveyed by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey, 1946–48, and named by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names in 1977 after Dr. Fernando E. Franca, Medical Officer and Station Manager, Palmer Station, 1974.

The Harpun Rocks are submerged rocks lying 0.1 nautical miles (0.2 km) southeast of Bills Point, Delta Island, in the Melchior Islands of the Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica. The name appears on a chart based upon a 1927 survey by Discovery Investigations personnel, but may reflect an earlier naming by whalers. Harpun is a Norwegian form of the word harpoon.

The Minnows are a group of small islands and rocks lying east of Flounder Island in the Fish Islands, off the west coast of Graham Land, Antarctica. They were charted by the British Graham Land Expedition under John Rymill, 1934–37, and were so named by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee in 1959 because the group lies in the Fish Islands, and "minnow" is a term for a small fish.

The Martin Islands are a group of islands and rocks 5 nautical miles (9 km) in extent lying 5 nautical miles east of the northern part of Renaud Island, and 1 nautical mile (2 km) west of Vieugue Island in Grandidier Channel, Antarctica. A group of islands to the north of "Pitt Island" was roughly charted and named "Martin Islands" for Captain Martin of the Argentine Navy, by the French Antarctic Expedition, 1903–05, under Jean-Baptiste Charcot. Aerial surveys have shown that what appeared to be one large island, Pitt, is actually a group of small islands. As they lie in one group with no logical division between them, the earlier name of Pitt was amended to Pitt Islands and extended to cover all the islands north of Renaud Island. The name Martin Islands was transferred to the group now described in order to preserve Charcot's name in the area.

Klebelsberg Glacier glacier in Antarctica

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Smiggers Island is an island lying 1 nautical mile (1.9 km) southeast of Weller Island, Pitt Islands, in the Biscoe Islands. Photographed by Hunting Aerosurveys Ltd. in 1956, and mapped from these photos by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS). Named by the United Kingdom Antarctic Place-Names Committee (UK-APC) in 1959 after Joseph Smiggers, Esquire, Perpetual Vice President of the Pickwick Club in Charles Dickens' Pickwick Papers.

Rugg Peak is a peak at the east side of Widmark Ice Piedmont southward of Crookes Peak, on the west coast of Graham Land. Photographed by Hunting Aerosurveys Ltd. in 1956-57, and mapped from these photos by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS). Named by the United Kingdom Antarctic Place-Names Committee (UK-APC) in 1959 for Andrew Rugg-Gunn, English ophthalmic surgeon, who in 1934 brought together the relevant data on radiation and protective glasses to improve the design of snow goggles.

References

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates  public domain material from the United States Geological Survey document "Dickens Rocks" (content from the Geographic Names Information System ).

United States Geological Survey scientific agency of the United States government

The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The USGS is a fact-finding research organization with no regulatory responsibility.

Geographic Names Information System geographical database

The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database that contains name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features located throughout the United States of America and its territories. It is a type of gazetteer. GNIS was developed by the United States Geological Survey in cooperation with the United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) to promote the standardization of feature names.