User:Seth Ilys/Islands north of Cape Morris Jesup
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[edit] Oodaaq
Oodaaq or Oodap Qeqert is a bank of gravel and silt northeast of Greenland that has been considered by some to be the most northerly point of land on earth.
Oodaaq lies at , only 705 km south of the North Pole and 1360 metres north of Kaffeklubben Island, lying near the northeast tip of Greenland. When discovered it measured a mere 15 metres by 8 metres.
It was discovered in 1978 when a Danish survey team led by Uffe Petersen landed a helicopter on Kaffeklubben to confirm that it did indeed lie further north than the tip of Greenland. Having confirmed the fact, a member of the team spotted a dark spot to the north and they flew over to the bank, naming it Oodaaq after the Eskimo who accompanied Robert Peary on his historic journey to the North Pole.
Gravel banks such as this are generally considered not to qualify for the title of world's most northerly point of land as they are rarely permanent. In fact several subsequent expeditions have claimed that Oodaaq has now disappeared beneath the ocean.
In July 2001, the Return to the Top of the World Expedition, led by John Jancik and Ken Zerbst, confirmed that their discovery of the 1996 RTOW island and permanent land feature is indeed the northernmost point of land on earth.[1]
In July 2003 American explorers led by Dennis Schmitt found a 35-metre-long bank at 83°42'N. Debate continues as to whether the bank is permanent.
In late 2004, the Eighth Edition of the National Geographic World Atlas was released. It clearly shows Oodaaq as the northernmost landmass on Earth.
- ^ Jancik, John; Richardson, Javana; & Gardiner, Steve (2002). Under the Midnight Sun: The Ascent of John Denver Peak and the Search for the Northernmost Point of Land on Earth. Stars End Creations. ISBN 1-88-912019-7.
[edit] ATOW1996
ATOW1996 is a small island that is documented as the northernmost land on earth. It is located several miles north of Cape Morris Jessup in northeastern Greenland at . It is only about 10 meters long and one meter high. ATOW1996 is named after the American Top of the World expedition in 1996.
An island even farther north was noted in a flyover by the Return to the Top of the World Expedition (RTOW2001), at , but more research, including a ground visit is necessary to confirm this.
- New Islands, New Northernmost Point of Land on Earth Discovered off Northern Coast of Greenland, Danish Polar Center
- Xefer.com
[edit] KMS1997
[edit] RTOW2001
[edit] 83-42
Schmitt and five companions stepped onto a tiny island in the Arctic Circle in July of 1993 in order to find the world's northernmost land -- called "Ultima Thule" by the ancient philosophers/explorers/cartographers.
Kaffeklubben Island was thought to be Earth's Ultima Thule since it was determined to lie slightly farther north than Greenland's Cape Morris Jesup. However, In 1978, Danish surveyors found a gravel bar a mile farther north at 83° 40' latitude and named it Oodaaq, after Admiral Robert Peary's Eskimo companion.
Although it is still listed by some reference works as Earth's Ultima Thule, Oodaaq Island mysteriously disappeared and has not been seen for some years now. Since the discovery and loss of Oodaaq Island, two or three similar gravel-bank islets have been found farther north.
The 120-foot-long pile of dirt, rocks and ice reached by Schmitt's expedition at 83°42' latitude on July 6, 2003, appears to be farther north than any other known land, making his discovery a prime candidate as Ultima Thule.
Schmitt had first spotted it from an airplane in 1998. Five years later, he set foot on it, in company with University of Cambridge teacher Frank Landsberger.
As of 2006, Schmit's islet awaits Danish government evaluation. While several researchers ridicule these tiny islands as impermanent "unconsolidated piles of rubble pushed around on the continental shelf by ice and rough seas", Schmitt's expedition noted that slow-growing lichen was found on his Ultima Thule candidate, giving credibility to his assertion that his islet is permanent.
