Mount Longdon

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Mount Longdon
FM Model 1968 105mm recoilless gun (51066493502).jpg
Highest point
Elevation 186 m (610 ft) [1] [2]
Prominence 97 m (318 ft) [3]
Isolation 2 km (1.2 miles) [4]
Coordinates 51°40′15″S57°58′55″W / 51.67083°S 57.98194°W / -51.67083; -57.98194
Geography

Mount Longdon is a hill located in the east of East Falkland island forming part of the Falkland Islands Archipelago. [5] [6] It has an elevation of 186 metres (610 ft) above sea level. It is the highest land in any direction for 2 kilometres (1.2 miles). [7] [a] It is known as the site of the Battle of Mount Longdon, and overlooks Stanley, the capital of the Falkland Islands.

Contents

Geography

Mount Longdon, along with other hills in the local vicinity West.to.Stanley.svg
Mount Longdon, along with other hills in the local vicinity

Mount Longdon forms part of a hilly area in the East of the East Falkland Island. [8]




Geology

Mount Longdon and the surrounding area primarily consists of sedimentary rocks with formations of sandstones, quartzites, and shales, which date back to the Paleozoic era. [9]

Climate

Koppen-Geiger Map FLK present.svg

The Climate for Mount Longdon is extremely similar to Stanley and RAF Mount Pleasant due to its proximity. Mount Longdon has a maritime climate in the polar, tundra zones, Köppen classification ET. [10] The climate is very much influenced by the cool South Atlantic ocean and its northerly Patagonian current. The oceanic climatic type is characterised by both low seasonal and diurnal temperature ranges and no marked wet and dry season while in the sub-arctic zone the average monthly maximum temperature exceeds 10 °C (50 °F) for no more than four months of the year and the average monthly minimum does not drop below −3 °C (27 °F). Mount Longdon's elevation, maritime location and topography frequently lead to cool conditions.[ citation needed ]

Climate data for Stanley, Falkland Islands, 2m asl, 1929–1970
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °C (°F)24.4
(75.9)		23.3
(73.9)		21.1
(70.0)		17.2
(63.0)		14.1
(57.4)		10.6
(51.1)		10.0
(50.0)		11.1
(52.0)		15.0
(59.0)		17.8
(64.0)		21.7
(71.1)		21.7
(71.1)		24.4
(75.9)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)13.3
(55.9)		12.8
(55.0)		11.7
(53.1)		9.4
(48.9)		6.7
(44.1)		5.0
(41.0)		4.4
(39.9)		5.0
(41.0)		7.2
(45.0)		8.9
(48.0)		11.1
(52.0)		12.2
(54.0)		9.0
(48.2)
Daily mean °C (°F)9.5
(49.1)		8.9
(48.0)		8.1
(46.6)		6.1
(43.0)		3.9
(39.0)		2.2
(36.0)		1.9
(35.4)		2.2
(36.0)		3.9
(39.0)		5.3
(41.5)		7.0
(44.6)		8.1
(46.6)		5.6
(42.1)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)5.6
(42.1)		5.0
(41.0)		4.4
(39.9)		2.8
(37.0)		1.1
(34.0)		0.0
(32.0)		−0.6
(30.9)		−0.6
(30.9)		0.6
(33.1)		1.7
(35.1)		2.8
(37.0)		3.9
(39.0)		2.2
(36.0)
Record low °C (°F)−1.1
(30.0)		−1.1
(30.0)		−2.8
(27.0)		−6.1
(21.0)		−6.7
(19.9)		−11.1
(12.0)		−8.9
(16.0)		−11.1
(12.0)		−10.6
(12.9)		−5.6
(21.9)		−3.3
(26.1)		−1.7
(28.9)		−11.1
(12.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches)71
(2.8)		58
(2.3)		64
(2.5)		66
(2.6)		66
(2.6)		53
(2.1)		51
(2.0)		51
(2.0)		38
(1.5)		41
(1.6)		51
(2.0)		71
(2.8)		681
(26.8)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm)151210111311129971014133
Average relative humidity (%)78798286888989878480757783
Mean monthly sunshine hours 198161169115775769901281892001981,651
Source 1: Globalbioclimatics/Salvador Rivas-Martínez [11]
Source 2: DMI/Danish Meteorology Institute (sun, humidity, and precipitation days 1931–1960) [12]
Climate data for Mount Pleasant EGYP, East Falkland, 74m asl, 1999–2019
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °C (°F)26.0
(78.8)		26.8
(80.2)		25.5
(77.9)		26.1
(79.0)		17.8
(64.0)		15.7
(60.3)		12.3
(54.1)		15.11
(59.20)		22.2
(72.0)		17.8
(64.0)		21.7
(71.1)		25.3
(77.5)		26.8
(80.2)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)16.8
(62.2)		15.9
(60.6)		14.6
(58.3)		10.9
(51.6)		8.1
(46.6)		5.9
(42.6)		5.4
(41.7)		6.6
(43.9)		8.8
(47.8)		11.7
(53.1)		13.5
(56.3)		15.4
(59.7)		11.1
(52.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)6.2
(43.2)		6.1
(43.0)		5.1
(41.2)		3.3
(37.9)		1.6
(34.9)		0.4
(32.7)		−0.3
(31.5)		0.3
(32.5)		1.0
(33.8)		2.2
(36.0)		3.4
(38.1)		5.0
(41.0)		2.9
(37.2)
Record low °C (°F)−0.1
(31.8)		−0.8
(30.6)		−0.6
(30.9)		−2.8
(27.0)		−6.1
(21.0)		−10.1
(13.8)		−10.3
(13.5)		−6.5
(20.3)		−9.8
(14.4)		−3.1
(26.4)		−5.5
(22.1)		−1.5
(29.3)		−10.1
(13.8)
Source: NCDC [13]

History

The Battle of Mount Longdon was fought between the British 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment and elements of the Argentine 7th Infantry Regiment on 11–12 June 1982, towards the end of the Falklands War. [14] [15] It was one of three engagements in a Brigade-size operation that night, along with the Battle of Mount Harriet and the Battle of Two Sisters. A mixture of hand-to-hand fighting and ranged combat resulted in the British occupying this key position around the Argentine garrison at Port Stanley. [16] The battle ended in a British victory.[ citation needed ]

Summit

At the summit of the hill now lies a memorial which today attracts some tourism to the area. [17]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ This is the distance to the mountain Tumbledown south of Mount Longdon.


References

Notes
  1. ↑ "ACME mapper". ACME mapper. 2024. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  2. ↑ Servicio de Hidrografía Naval, ed. (1969). Carta H-411, Isla Soledad (esc. 1:200.000 - 76 cm x 110 cm) (Mapa con toponimia en castellano). Buenos Aires: Depositado por la Argentina en la Organización de las Naciones Unidas.
  3. ↑ "Peak Visor". Peak Visor. 2024. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  4. ↑ https://wikimapia.org/8487348/Mount-Longdon
  5. ↑ Alan Edwin Day (1996). The Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. Clio Press. p. 232.
  6. ↑ Toponymic information is based on the Geographic Names Database, containing official standard names approved by the United States Board on Geographic Names and maintained by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. More information is available at the Resources link at www.nga.mil. The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency name, initials, and seal are protected by 10 United States Code § Section 425.
  7. ↑ "Isolation for Mount Longdon - ACME mapper".
  8. ↑ Middlebrook, Martin. The Falklands War. London: Penguin Books, 1989
  9. ↑ Stone, P., and Aldiss, D.T. The Geology of the Falkland Islands. British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham, 2002.
  10. ↑ "Climate Zones: South America" (PDF). New York: Socioeconomic Data and Applications (SEDAC), Earth Institute, Columbia University. 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
  11. ↑ "Temp/Rain 1929–70" (PDF). Globalbioclimatics. April 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  12. ↑ Cappelen, John; Jensen, Jens. "FALKLANDSØERNE–Stanley" (PDF). Climate Data for Selected Stations (1931-1960) (in Danish). Danish Meteorological Institute. p. 87. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 April 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  13. ↑ "Temp/max/min/records". NOAA. December 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  14. ↑ Christian Jennings and Adrian Weale, Green-Eyed Boys: 3 Para and the Battle for Mount Longdon, p. 142, HarperCollins, 1996
  15. ↑ Jon Cooksey, 3 PARA Mount Longdon: The Bloodiest Battle, p. 98, Pen & Sword Books Ltd
  16. ↑ Batallón 5: El Batallón de Infantería de Marina No. 5 en la Guerra de las Malvinas, Emilio Villarino, Aller Atucha, 1992
  17. ↑ "Mount Longdon Memorial". Falklands Islands Tourist Board. 2024. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
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