Zavodovski Island
| Zavodovski | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Elevation | 551 m (1,808 ft) |
| Location | |
| Location | South Sandwich Islands, United Kingdom |
| Geology | |
| Type | Stratovolcano |
| Last eruption | 2012 |
Zavodovski Island is an uninhabited volcanic island in the Traversay Islands group of the South Sandwich Islands. It lies 350 kilometres (217 mi) southeast of South Georgia Island. It is the northernmost of the South Sandwich Islands and the nearest to South Georgia.
Etymology
Zavodovski Island was discovered and named by the Russian Antarctic explorer Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen on Christmas Eve, 1819. Bellingshausen named it after Lieutenant Ivan Zavodovski, who was captain of his ship, the Vostok.[1]
Geography
The island is approximately 5 kilometres (3.1 miles) across with a peak elevation of 551 metres (1,808 feet) above sea level. The stratovolcano Mount Asphyxia dominates the western side of the island while the eastern half is a low-lying lava plain. Mount Asphyxia is believed to be active with fresh lava reported in 1830 and numerous indications of activity since. Approximately 50% of the island is composed of tephra. A volcanic eruption was identified on the island on 2 May 2012, although the size of the eruptions is unknown.[2]
The island is home to around a million pairs of breeding chinstrap penguins, making it one of the world's largest penguin colonies.
In popular culture
The island was the inspiration for the track '(Something's going down on) Zavodovski Island' by London Jazz ensemble, the Portico Quartet.
See also
- List of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands
References
Sources
- LeMasurier, W. E.; Thomson, J. W. (eds.) (1990). Volcanoes of the Antarctic Plate and Southern Oceans. American Geophysical Union. pp. 512 pp. ISBN 0-87590-172-7.
- Zavodovski, South Sandwich Islands with images
- "Zavodovski". Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institution. http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=1900-13%3D.
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