Trinity Island

Island of Antarctica

For other uses, see Trinity Island (disambiguation).

Trinity Island

Trinity Island

Location in Antarctica

Show map of Antarctica

Trinity Island

Trinity Island (Antarctic Peninsula)

Show map of Antarctic Peninsula

Geography
Location| Antarctica
Coordinates| 63°47′S 60°44′W﻿ / ﻿63.783°S 60.733°W﻿ / -63.783; -60.733
Archipelago| Palmer Archipelago
Length| 24 km (14.9 mi)
Width| 10 km (6 mi)
Administration
Administered under the Antarctic Treaty System
Demographics
Population| Uninhabited

Trinity Island or Île de la Trinité or Isla Trinidad is an island 24 km (15 mi) long and 10 km (6 mi) wide in the northern part of the Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica. It lies 37 km (23 mi) east of Hoseason Island, 72.6 km (45 mi) south of Deception Island in the South Shetland Islands, and 10.3 km (6 mi) north-northwest of Cape Andreas on the Antarctic Peninsula. The island was named by Otto Nordenskiöld, leader of the 1901-1904 Swedish Antarctic Expedition (SAE) in commemoration of Edward Bransfield's "Trinity Land" of 1820.

## History

[edit]

Trinity Island, or the adjoining Davis Coast stretch of the Antarctic Peninsula, may have been the first part of Antarctica spotted by Nathaniel Palmer, on 16 November 1820. He was an American sealer, exploring southwards from Cape Horn in his little sloop searching for seal rookeries. The whole archipelago was named in his honour in 1897 by Adrien de Gerlache, leader of the Belgian Antarctic Expedition.[1]

## Geography

[edit]

Satellite image of Trinity Island.

Trinity Island is one of the most northerly of the islands of the Palmer Archipelago, a chain of more than fifty islands running parallel with the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. It is about 24 km (15 mi) long and 10 km (6 mi) wide, with an irregular shape and coastline that encompasses many points, capes, bays, coves, and other subordinate features. Many of these geographic features have been charted and named by various Antarctic expeditions, as well as the nations of Argentina and Bulgaria.

Trinity Island is separated from Tower Island to the east by Gilbert Strait.[2] Both islands are separated from the Davis Coast to the south by Orléans Strait, running northeast–southwest.[3] To the southwest, Chayka Passage separates Trinity Island from Spert Island by just 110 m (360 ft).[4]

### Northern portion

[edit]

Cape Wollaston marks the island's northwest extremity. The name was originally applied by the 1828-1831 British Chanticleer expedition for William H. Wollaston, commissioner of the Royal Society from 1818–28.[5] To the east along the north coast is Lorna Cove, 1.1 km (0.68 mi) wide, with ice-covered Albatros Point marking its eastern shore.[6][7] Both features were named for Bulgarian fishing trawlers from the Ocean Fisheries company.[6][7] Continuing east, Cape Neumayer forms the northeast end of Trinity Island. It was charted by the SAE and named after German geophysicist Georg B. von Neumayer.[8]

On the west coast, Preker Point sits 2.1 km (1.3 mi) to the southwest of Cape Wollaston. It is named for a mountain in the Balkan Mountains.[9] It marks the northern point of Saldobisa Cove, which is 2.3 km (1.4 mi) wide, and was named for an ancient Thracian settlement in northern Bulgaria.[9][10] Burya Point, formed by an offshoot of Ketripor Hill, divides Saldobisa from Olusha Cove to the south. It was named for Burya, a village in Bulgaria.[11] Olusha Cove, named for a Bulgarian fishing trawler, is 2.7 km (1.7 mi) wide and marked to the south by Consecuencia Point.[12][13]

Continuing south down the west coast, just north of Lyon Peak, sits Milburn Bay, fed by Pastra Glacier. The bay was shown on an Argentine government chart of 1952 and named by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee (UKAPC) in 1960 for M. R. Milburn, an air traffic control officer of the Falkland Islands and Dependencies Aerial Survey Expedition (FIDASE), which photographed this area in the period 1955–57.[14]

### Southern portion

[edit]

Gentoo penguins at Mikkelsen Harbor, Trinity Island

Towards the southern end of the west coast is Krivina Bay, a 5 km (3.1 mi)-wide bay that indents the coast to a depth of 3 km (1.9 mi). Three small, rocky islands lie in the northern part of the bay.[15] Northernmost is Imelin Island, 600 m (2,000 ft) long by 380 m (1,250 ft) wide.[16] Dink Island lies 120 m (390 ft) to the south. It is 610 m (2,000 ft) long by 320 m (1,050 ft) wide, and lies 180 m (590 ft) north of Rogulyat Island, which is the southernmost of the three.[17] Rogulyat Island is 350 m (1,150 ft) long by 160 m (520 ft) wide.[18] The bay and its islands are named for locations in Bulgaria: the villages of Dink,[17] Krivina,[15] and Rogulyat,[18] and Imelin Cave.[16]

On the southwest side of the island is Belimel Bay, a 5.9 km (3.7 mi)-wide bay that indents the coast to a depth of 3.9 km (2.4 mi). It is named for Belimel in northwestern Bulgaria.[19] The bay is defined on the north by Spert Island and to the south by Asencio Point.[19] The point is named for Alferez de Navío Salvador Asencio of the Uruguay.[20] Tizoin Point, named for a cave in Bulgaria, projects southwards into the middle of the bay.[21]

On the east side of the southern portion of the island, 6 kilometres (4 mi) northeast of Borge Point, Awl Point projects a short distance from the shore. Awl Point was shown on an Argentine government chart of 1952, and named by the UKAPC in 1960 because the point is low in elevation but very sharply pointed in plan, suggesting an awl.[22]

The southernmost point of the island is called Skottsberg Point, which marks the west side of Mikkelsen Harbor, the most prominent feature on the southern half of the island.[1][23]

### Offshore features

[edit]

The Hydrodist Rocks lie 4 nautical miles (7 km) off the west coast of Trinity Island. They were first fixed in January 1964 by HMS Protector (A146) by means of a helicopter-borne hydrodist.[24]

Judas Rock lies 5 nautical miles (9 km) west of the southwest end of the island. First shown on an Argentine government chart of 1950, UKAPC named it in 1960 after Judas Iscariot because the rock marks the southern extremity of a hazardous shoal area which extends northward from it for 3 nautical miles (6 km) in an otherwise clear passage.[25]

## Important Bird Areas

[edit]

### Cape Wollaston

[edit]

Cape Wollaston, at the northwest extremity of the island, has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports a large breeding colony of about 10,000 pairs of southern fulmars. The 116 ha (290 acres) site comprises the ice-free land of the cape. It has an elevation of about 250 m.[26]

### Trinity Island south-west

[edit]

A 45-hectare (110-acre) site comprising a rocky headland rising to 250 metres (820 ft) above sea level, at the south-western extremity of the island, has also been designated an IBA because it supports a breeding colony of about 200 pairs of Antarctic shags. Chinstrap penguins also nest at the site.[27]

## See also

[edit]

* List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Mills, William J. (2003). Exploring Polar Frontiers: A Historical Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 662\. ISBN 978-1-57607-422-0.
2. ^ "Gilbert Strait". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
3. ^ "Orléans Strait". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
4. ^ "Chayka Passage". SCAR Composite Gazetteer. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
5. ^ "Cape Wollaston". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
6. ^ a b "Lorna Cove". Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
7. ^ a b "Albatros Point". SCAR Composite Gazetteer. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
8. ^ "Cape Neumayer". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
9. ^ a b "Preker Point". SCAR Composite Gazetteer. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
10. ^ "Saldobisa Cove". SCAR Composite Gazetteer. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
11. ^ "Burya Point". SCAR Composite Gazetteer. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
12. ^ "Olusha Cove". SCAR Composite Gazetteer. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
13. ^ "Consecuencia Point". SCAR Composite Gazetteer. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
14. ^ "Milburn Bay". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
15. ^ a b "Krivina Bay". SCAR Composite Gazetteer. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
16. ^ a b "Imelin Island". SCAR Composite Gazetteer. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
17. ^ a b "Dink Island". SCAR Composite Gazetteer. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
18. ^ a b "Rogulyat Island". SCAR Composite Gazetteer. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
19. ^ a b "Belimel Bay". SCAR Composite Gazetteer. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
20. ^ "Asencio Point". SCAR Composite Gazetteer. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
21. ^ "Tizoin Point". SCAR Composite Gazetteer. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
22. ^ "Awl Point". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
23. ^ "Skottsberg Point". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
24. ^ "Hydrodist Rocks". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
25. ^ "Judas Rock". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
26. ^ "Cape Wollaston, Trinity Island". BirdLife data zone: Important Bird Areas. BirdLife International. 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
27. ^ "Trinity Island southwest". BirdLife data zone: Important Bird Areas. BirdLife International. 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2019.

## External links

[edit]

* Trinity Island Copernix satellite image of Trinity Island

* v
* t
* e

Important Bird Areas of Antarctica

Queen Elizabeth Land|

* Berkner Island

Coats Land|

* Coalseam Cliffs
* Mount Faraway
* Stewart Buttress
* Dawson-Lambton Glacier
* Luitpold Coast
* Stancomb-Wills Glacier

Queen Maud Land|

* Atka Iceport
* Drescher Inlet
* Gruber Mountains
* Jutulsessen
* Muskegbukta
* Princess Ragnhild Coast
* Riiser-Larsen Ice Shelf
* Riiser-Larsen Peninsula
* Svarthamaren Mountain

Enderby Land|

* Cape Batterbee
* Mount Biscoe

Kemp Land|

* Kloa Point

Mac. Robertson Land|

* Andersen Island
* Auster rookery
* Cape Darnley
* Gibbney Island
* Kirton Island
* Klung Island
* Macklin Island
* Murray Monolith
* Rookery Islands
* Scullin Monolith
* Taylor Rookery
* Welch Island

Princess Elizabeth Land|

* Amanda Bay
* Bluff Island
* Boyd Island
* Caro Island
* Donskiye Islands
* Filla Island
* Gardner Island
* Hop Island
* Kazak Island
* Lucas Island
* Lugg Island
* Magnetic Island
* Rookery Lake
* Tryne Islands
* Turner Island
* Warriner Island
* Waterhouse Island
* West Ice Shelf
* Zolotov Island

Queen Mary Land|

* Haswell Island
* Shackleton Ice Shelf

Wilkes Land|

* Ardery Island
* Beall Island
* Berkley Island
* Cameron Island
* Clark Peninsula
* Dibble Glacier
* Holl Island
* O'Connor Island
* Odbert Island
* Peterson Island
* Shirley Island

Adélie Land|

* Cape Bienvenue
* Cape Jules
* Curzon Islands
* Empereur Island
* Géologie Archipelago

George V Land|

* Cape Denison
* Cape Hunter
* Cape-Pigeon Rocks
* Greater Mackellar Island
* Lesser Mackellar Island
* Mackellar Islands
* Mertz Glacier
* Way Archipelago

Oates Land|

* Arthurson Ridge
* Kartografov Island
* Mount Archer
* Sturge Island

Victoria Land|

* Adélie Cove
* Blue Glacier to Cape Chocolate
* Cape Adare
* Cape Main
* Cape Roget
* Cape Wadworth
* Cape Washington
* Cotter Cliffs
* Dailey Islands
* Depot Island
* Downshire Cliffs
* Duke of York Island
* Dunlop Island
* Edmonson Point
* Foyn Island
* Gregory Island
* Inexpressible Island
* Mandible Cirque
* Possession Islands
* Seabee Hook

Ross Sea|

* Beaufort Island
* Bernacchi Head
* Cape Crozier
* Caughley Beach
* Franklin Island southwest
* McDonald Beach
* Rocky Point

King Edward VII Land|

* Cape Colbeck

Marie Byrd Land|

* Brownson Islands
* Edwards Islands
* Hummer Point
* Lindsey Islands
* Maher Island
* Mathewson Point
* Mount Paterson
* Thurston Glacier
* Worley Point

Ellsworth Land|

* Schaefer Islands
* Sikorski Glacier

Palmer Land|

* Sims Island
* Smith Peninsula
* Smyley Island

Graham Land|

* Ambush Bay
* Apéndice Island
* Armstrong Reef
* Avian Island
* Bates Island
* Brash Island
* Brown Bluff
* Cape Evensen
* Cape Wollaston
* Cierva Point
* Cockburn Island
* Cormorant Island
* Cuverville Island
* D'Urville Monument
* Danger Islands
* Devil Island
* Dion Islands
* Dodman Island
* Dream Island
* Duroch Islands
* Earle Island
* Eden Rocks
* Emperor Island
* Gerlache Island
* Ginger Islands
* Gourdin Island
* Guépratte Island
* Hope Bay
* Joubin Islands
* Lagotellerie Island
* Litchfield Island
* Madder Cliffs
* Midas Island
* Moss Islands
* Murray Island
* Paulet Island
* Pearl Rocks
* Penguin Point
* Petermann Island
* Pursuit Point
* Rosenthal Islands
* Ryder Bay Islands
* Snow Hill Island
* Stonington Island
* Trinity Island
* Tupinier Islands
* Uruguay Island

South Shetland Islands|

* Admiralty Bay
* Ardley Island
* Aspland Island
* Baily Head
* Barnard Point
* Byers Peninsula
* Cape Bowles
* Cape Garry
* Cape Hooker
* Cape Lookout
* Cape Melville
* Cape Shirreff
* Cape Wallace
* Chinstrap Cove
* Eadie Island
* East of Nelly Point
* Eastern Litwin Bay
* Escarpada Point
* False Round Point
* Fur Seal Point
* Gibbs Island
* Half Moon Island
* Harmony Point
* Heywood Island
* Jameson Point
* Kellick Island
* Lions Rump
* Milosz Point
* Mount Elder
* North Foreland
* O'Brien Island
* Owen Island
* Penguin Island
* Point Hennequin
* Point Wordie
* Potter Peninsula
* Pottinger Point
* Saddleback Point
* Seal Islands
* Stinker Point
* Sugarloaf Island
* Tartar Island
* Vapour Col
* Walker Point
* Yankee Harbour

South Orkney Islands|

* Atriceps Island
* Buchanan Point
* Cape Davidson
* Cape Hansen
* Cape Robertson
* Cape Whitson
* Cheal Point
* Christoffersen Island
* Eillium Island
* Ferguslie Peninsula
* Ferrier Peninsula
* Fraser Point
* Fredriksen Island
* Gibbon Bay
* Gosling Islands
* Graptolite Island
* Grey Island
* Inaccessible Islands
* Larsen Islands
* Matthews Island
* Michelsen Island
* Moe Island
* Moreton Point
* Pirie Peninsula
* Point Martin
* Return Point
* Robertson Islands
* Shingle Cove
* Signy Island
* Skilling Island
* Southern Powell Island
* Watson Peninsula
* Weddell Islands

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