83-42 is the name for a small patch of rock, above sea level, located in the Arctic Ocean, which if confirmed may be the northernmost permanent point of land on earth. It is also sometimes referred to as Schmittâs Island, after its discoverer.[1][2]
It is 35m by 15m and 4m high, and lies at , about 435 miles from the North Pole[3]. Discovered in 1998, it is 4 meters high, and lichens were found growing on it, suggesting it was not a temporary gravel bar as are commonly found in that region.
The Oodaaq Island, at is another semi-permanent gravel bank claimed as northernmost.
All of these small islands, with the possible exception of 83-42, are not very permanent. Waves and ice shifts gravel banks around in these shallow waters. The northernmost permanent land, according to established science is Kaffeklubben Island, at .