Eta Island (Palmer Archipelago)

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Eta Island
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Eta Island
Location in Antarctica
Geography
Location Antarctica
Coordinates 64°19′S62°55′W / 64.317°S 62.917°W / -64.317; -62.917 Coordinates: 64°19′S62°55′W / 64.317°S 62.917°W / -64.317; -62.917
Archipelago Melchior Islands,
Palmer Archipelago
Length3 km (1.9 mi)
Administration
Administered under the Antarctic Treaty System
Demographics
PopulationUninhabited

Eta Island is an island, 2.8 kilometres (1.5 nmi) long, which lies immediately north of Omega Island in the Melchior Islands, Palmer Archipelago. This island, the largest feature in the northeast part of the Melchior Islands, is part of what was called "Île Melchior" by the French Antarctic Expedition, 1903–05, under Jean-Baptiste Charcot, but the name Melchior now applies to the whole island group. Eta Island was roughly surveyed by Discovery Investigations personnel in 1927. The name, derived from eta, the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet, appears to have been first used on a 1946 Argentine government chart following surveys of the Melchior Islands by Argentine expeditions in 1942 and 1943. [1]

Omega Island island

Omega Island is an island 3.7 kilometres (2 nmi) long, which lies immediately south of Eta Island in the Melchior Islands, Palmer Archipelago. This island, the largest feature in the southeast part of the Melchior Islands, is part of what was called Île Melchior by the French Antarctic Expedition under Jean-Baptiste Charcot, 1903–05, but the name Melchior now applies for the whole island group. Omega Island was roughly surveyed by DI personnel in 1927. The name Omega, derived from the last letter of the Greek alphabet, appears to have been first used on a 1946 Argentine government chart following surveys of the Melchior Islands by Argentine expeditions in 1942 and 1943.

Melchior Islands group of many low, ice-covered islands

The Melchior Islands are a group of many low, ice-covered islands lying near the center of Dallmann Bay in the Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica. They were first seen but left unnamed by a German expedition under Eduard Dallmann, 1873–74. The islands were resighted and roughly charted by the Third French Antarctic Expedition under Jean-Baptiste Charcot, 1903–05. Charcot named what he believed to be the large easternmost island in the group "Île Melchior" after Vice Admiral Jules Melchior of the French Navy, but later surveys proved Charcot's Île Melchior to be two islands, now called Eta Island and Omega Island. The name Melchior Islands has since become established for the whole island group now described, of which Eta Island and Omega Island form the eastern part, while the Sigma Islands mark the northern limit of the islands. The group was roughly surveyed in 1927 by Discovery Investigations personnel in the RRS Discovery, and was resurveyed by Argentine expeditions in 1942 and 1943, and again in 1948.

Palmer Archipelago Group of islands off the northwestern coast of the Antarctic Peninsula

Palmer Archipelago, also known as Antarctic Archipelago, Archipiélago Palmer, Antarktiske Arkipel or Palmer Inseln, is a group of islands off the northwestern coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. It extends from Tower Island in the north to Anvers Island in the south. It is separated by the Gerlache and Bismarck straits from the Antarctic Peninsula and Wilhelm Archipelago, respectively.

See also

Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research organization

The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) is an interdisciplinary body of the International Council for Science (ICSU).

Territorial claims in Antarctica Wikimedia list article

There are seven sovereign states who currently maintain de jure, largely symbolic territorial claims in Antarctica: Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom. These countries have tended to place their Antarctic scientific observation and study facilities within their respective claimed territories; however, a number of such facilities are located nowhere near the sectors claimed by their respective countries of operation, and there are multiple other countries such as Russia and the United States who, despite having no territorial claim of their own anywhere in Antarctica, have constructed large research facilities within the sectors claimed by other countries.

Related Research Articles

Snow Hill Island island

Snow Hill Island is an almost completely snowcapped island, 33 km (21 mi) long and 12 km (7.5 mi) wide, lying off the east coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. It is separated from James Ross Island to the north-east by Admiralty Sound and from Seymour Island to the north by Picnic Passage. It is one of several islands around the peninsula known as Graham Land, which is closer to South America than any other part of the Antarctic continent.

Sigma Islands

Sigma Islands is a group of small islands and rocks which lie 5.6 km (3 nmi) north of Eta Island and mark the north limit of the Melchior Islands, in the Palmer Archipelago. The name, derived from the 18th letter of the Greek alphabet, appears to have been first used on a 1946 Argentine government chart following surveys of these islands by Argentine expeditions in 1942 and 1943.

Tripod Island

Tripod Island is a small island which lies close south of the west extremity of Eta Island and marks the north side of the western entrance to Andersen Harbor in the Melchior Islands, Palmer Archipelago. The name was probably given by DI personnel who roughly surveyed the island in 1927. The island was resurveyed by Argentine expeditions in 1942, 1943 and 1948.

Pabellón Island

Pabellón Island is the southernmost of two islands which lie close off the north tip of Omega Island and mark the south side of the western entrance to Andersen Harbor in the Melchior Islands, Palmer Archipelago. The island was roughly surveyed by DI personnel in 1927 and named by the Argentine expedition during a survey of these islands in 1946-47. They erected a mast on this island from which they flew the Argentine national colors (pabellón).

Psi Islands

Psi Islands is a group of small islands which lie close to the west side of Lambda Island in the Melchior Islands, Palmer Archipelago. The name, derived from the 23rd letter of the Greek alphabet, appears to have been first used on a 1946 Argentine government chart following surveys of these islands by Argentine expeditions in 1942 and 1943.

Argentine Islands group of islands in the Wilhelm Archipelago of Antarctica, 9 km SW of Petermann Island, 7 km NW of Cape Tuxen, Kiev Peninsula, Graham Land; discovered by the French Antarctic Expedition 1903–05; so named to thank Argentinas support to the expedition

The Argentine Islands are a group of islands in the Wilhelm Archipelago of Antarctica, situated 5 nautical miles (9 km) southwest of Petermann Island, and 4 nautical miles (7 km) northwest of Cape Tuxen on Kiev Peninsula in Graham Land. They were discovered by the French Antarctic Expedition, 1903–05, under Jean-Baptiste Charcot, and named by him for the Argentine Republic in appreciation of that government's support of to his expedition.

Lambda Island

Lambda Island is an island lying immediately north-west of Delta Island in the Melchior Islands, of the Palmer Archipelago in Antarctica. The island, the largest in the north-western part of the island group, was first roughly charted and named "Île Sourrieu" by the French Antarctic Expedition, 1903–05 under Jean-Baptiste Charcot, but that name has not survived in usage. The current name, derived from lambda, the 11th letter of the Greek alphabet, was given by Discovery Investigations personnel who roughly charted the island in 1927. The island was surveyed by Argentine expeditions in 1942, 1943 and 1948.

Delta Island

Delta Island is an island 1 kilometre (0.5 nmi) long, lying close southeast of Lambda Island and east of Alpha Island in the Melchior Islands, Palmer Archipelago. The name, derived from the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet, was probably given by Discovery Investigations personnel who roughly surveyed the island in 1927. The island was surveyed by Argentine expeditions in 1942, 1943 and 1948.

Alpha Island small island lying between Epsilon Island and Delta Island in the Melchior Islands

Alpha Island, also known as Isla Huidobro, is a small island lying between Epsilon Island and Delta Island in the Melchior Islands, Palmer Archipelago. Charted by Discovery Investigations in 1927 and named after the first letter of the Greek alphabet, in association with the names of other islands in this group. The island was surveyed by Argentine expeditions in 1942, 1943 and 1948.

Omicron Islands

Omicron Islands is a group of small islands and rocks which lie close southeast of Omega Island in the Melchior Islands, Palmer Archipelago. The name, derived from the 15th letter of the Greek alphabet, appears to have been first used on a 1946 Argentine government chart following surveys of these islands by Argentine expeditions in 1942 and 1943.

West Melchior Islands is a group of small ice-covered islands and rocks which lie west of The Sound in the Melchior Islands, Palmer Archipelago. The islands east of The Sound are called East Melchior Islands. The name was probably given by DI personnel who roughly surveyed these islands in 1927. The islands were surveyed by Argentine expeditions in 1942, 1943 and 1948.

Pi Islands

Pi Islands are two islands and several rocks which lie 2 kilometres (1 nmi) east of the northeast end of Omega Island among the Melchior Islands, Palmer Archipelago. The name, derived from the 16th letter of the Greek alphabet, appears to have been first used on a 1946 Argentine government chart following surveys of these islands by Argentine expeditions in 1942 and 1943.

The East Melchior Islands are a group of small ice-covered islands and rocks which lie east of The Sound in the Melchior Islands, Palmer Archipelago. The islands west of The Sound are called the West Melchior Islands. The name was probably given by Discovery Investigations personnel who roughly charted these islands in 1927. The islands were surveyed by Argentine expeditions in 1942, 1943 and 1948.

Epsilon Island (Antarctica)

Epsilon Island in the Antarctic is a small island lying between Alpha Island and the southern extremity of Lambda Island in the Melchior Islands, Palmer Archipelago. The island was roughly surveyed by Discovery Investigations personnel in 1927. The name, derived from epsilon, the fifth letter of the Greek alphabet, appears to have been first used on a 1946 Argentine government chart following surveys of the Melchior Islands by Argentine expeditions in 1942 and 1943.

Fournier Island

Fournier Island is a small island in the southern Schollaert Channel, lying 1 kilometre (0.5 nmi) off the eastern extremity of Anvers Island, in the Palmer Archipelago. The island was charted but left unnamed by the French Antarctic Expedition, 1903–05. The name appears on Argentine charts dating back to 1950, and honors the ship Fournier which took part in the Argentine Antarctic Expedition of 1947. In 1948 the vessel was wrecked in the Strait of Magellan.

Gamma Island island in Antarctica

Gamma Island is an island, 1.6 kilometres (1 mi) long, which marks the southwestern extremity of the Melchior Islands in the Palmer Archipelago. This island was first roughly charted and named "Ile Gouts" by the French Antarctic Expedition, 1903–05, under Jean-Baptiste Charcot, but that name has not survived in usage. The current name, derived from gamma, the third letter of the Greek alphabet, was probably given by Discovery Investigations personnel who roughly surveyed the island in 1927. The island was also surveyed by Argentine expeditions in 1942, 1943 and 1948.

Theta Islands are several small islands and rocks which lie close west of Kappa Island at the west extremity of the Melchior Islands, Palmer Archipelago. The islands were roughly charted by Discovery Investigations personnel in 1927. The name, derived from the eighth letter of the Greek alphabet, appears to have been first used on a 1946 Argentine government chart following surveys of the Melchior Islands by Argentine expeditions in 1942 and 1943.

Tau Islands is a small group of islands and rocks which lie immediately off the northeast extremity of Eta Island in the Melchior Islands, Palmer Archipelago. The name, derived from the 19th letter of the Greek alphabet, appears to have been first used on a 1946 Argentine government chart following surveys of the islands by Argentine expeditions in 1942 and 1943.

References

  1. "Eta Island". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey . Retrieved 2012-03-05.

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

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