Pobeda Ice Island
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Pobeda Ice Island, original
Periodic formation
The ice island is created and vanishes periodically. It is created by the calving of an enormous block of ice from Denman Glacier, located in the eastern part of Shackleton Ice Shelf. The resulting tabular iceberg drifts northwest until it runs aground upon a shoal north of the ice shelf. The iceberg remains locked there in this position for a decade or more, until it has remodeled enough to free itself from the shoal. It then drifts into the open ocean, where it breaks into fragments. These iceberg fragments eventually melt as they drift into warmer waters. The floating tongue of the Denman Glacier, fed by ice from the interior of Antarctica, advances until a new large berg is calved about every 40 to 50 years.
Data
Pobeda Ice Island is variable in its dimensions, but is commonly up to 70 km (43 mi) long and 36 km (22 mi) wide, with an area of 1,500 km2 (579 sq mi).
The term "island" is technically incorrect, since this geographic feature is in reality a tabular iceberg with nearly vertical sides and a flat top.
History
At this position, an ice island was first sighted by the United States Exploring Expedition, led by Charles Wilkes, in February 1840. It prevented his westward passage around the Antarctic coast, and he named it Termination Land.
A Soviet Expedition came across the island in 1960 and renamed it again, this time as Pobeda Ice Island, named for Soviet victory over the Axis powers in the
Pobeda Canyon
About 200 km (120 mi) north of Pobeda Ice Island lies Pobeda Canyon, an oceanic trench so named in 1956 by A. P. Lizitsin [1]. It is located between 62°30′S 100°15′E / 62.500°S 100.250°E and 64°30′S 097°35′E / 64.500°S 97.583°E.
See also
- List of Antarctic islands south of 60° S
- Thwaites Iceberg Tongue
References
- ^ "Soviet Pobeda Station, a jump in the past! – W.A.P." (in Italian). 2021-07-28. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
External links
- coordinates, height, station operations
- satellite map of the area
- Pobeda Station
- overview of maps[permanent dead link]
Literature
- ISBN 0-471-98665-8, S. 200 [2]