White Island (Ross Archipelago)

Not to be confused with White Island (Enderby Land) or White Islands.

White Island

White Island from Ross Sea
White Island Location in Antarctica
Geography
Location	Antarctica
Coordinates	78°8′S 167°24′E
Archipelago	Ross Archipelago
Administration
Administered under the Antarctic Treaty System
Demographics
Population	Uninhabited

White Island (78°08′S 167°24′E) is an island in the Ross Archipelago of Antarctica. It is 15 nautical miles (28 km; 17 mi) long, protruding through the Ross Ice Shelf immediately east of Black Island. It was discovered by the British National Antarctic Expedition (1901–04) and so named by them because of the mantle of snow which covers it.

Protected Area

Main article: North-west White Island Antarctic Specially Protected Area

Some 142 km² of shelf ice adjoining the north-west coast of the island has been designated an Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA 137) because it supports an isolated small breeding population of Weddell seals.

Geology

White Island consists of two Pleistocene shield volcanoes overlain by volcanic cones. The last known eruption occurred 0.17 million years ago.

Features

Features include, from south to north, Mount Nesos, Mount Henderson, Isolation Point, Mount Nipha, Mount Hayward, Mount Heine and Cape Spencer-Smith.

Mount Nesos

78°12′S 167°06′E. The remnants of a volcanic core, over 400 metres (1,300 ft) high, projecting through the ice near the southwest end of White Island. Named by the New Zealand Geological Survey Antarctic Expedition (NZGSAE; 1958-59) from the Greek word nesos (nisos), meaning island, and referring to the fact that although isolated by the ice sheet the hill is a part of White Island.

Mount Henderson

78°11′S 167°20′E. A hill 2 nautical miles (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) west-northwest of Isolation Point in the south-central part of White Island. Named by the NZGSAE (1958-59) for G.B. Henderson, a member of that expedition.

Isolation Point

78°11′S 167°30′E. A small volcanic peak projecting through the ice sheet covering the southeast extremity of White Island. So named because of its remote position by the NZGSAE, 1958-59.

Davis Bluff

78.15°S 167.5833333°E / -78.15; 167.5833333. A rock bluff rising to 400 metres (1,300 ft) high, 2 nautical miles (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) northeast of Isolation Point. Named by United States Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN; 2005) after Randall W. Davis, Department of Marine Biology, Texas A'&'M University, Galveston, TX, who studied the Weddell seal in McMurdo Sound sea ice areas, 1977-2003, including winter season research at White Island with Michael A. Castellini (Castellini Bluff. q.v.), 1981.

Mount Nipha

78°09′S 167°24′E. A hill, 760 metres (2,490 ft) high, standing almost precisely in the center of White Island. Nipha is a Greek word for snow. So named by the NZGSAE (1958-59) because the hill is surrounded by ice and snow.

Castellini Bluff

78.15°S 167.1666667°E / -78.15; 167.1666667. A rock bluff rising to about 500 metres (1,600 ft) high between Dibble Bluff and Mount Nesos. Named by US-ACAN (2005) after Michael A. Castellini, Institute of Marine Sciences, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK, who studied the Weddell seal in McMurdo Sound sea ice areas, 1977-2004, including winter season research at White Island with Randall W. Davis (Davis Bluff), 1981.

Dibble Bluff

78.1166667°S 167.2166667°E / -78.1166667; 167.2166667. A conspicuous rock bluff, 1 nautical mile (1.9 km; 1.2 mi) south of Marshall Cirque on the west side of White Island, Ross Archipelago. The bluff rises abruptly from Murdo Ice Shelf to over 400 meters. Named by US-ACAN (1999) after Ray R. Dibble, Department of Geology, Victoria University of Wellington, who investigated volcanic eruptions and the seismicity of nearby Mount Erebus in five seasons, 1980-81 through 1984-85.

Mount Hayward

78°07′S 167°21′E. A hill 2 nautical miles (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) southwest of Mount Heine. Named by the NZGSAE (1958-59) for V. Hayward, a Canadian member of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition (1914-17), who lost his life in a blizzard on May 8, 1916 when the sea ice in McMurdo Sound went out.

Mount Heine

78°05′S 167°27′E. A hill, 760 metres (2,490 ft) high, in the north part of White Island. Named by the NZGSAE (1958-59) for A.J. Heine, leader of their party who visited White Island. Heine, who climbed this hill, spent four summers and one winter in Antarctica, mostly in the McMurdo Sound area.

Marshall Cirque

78.0833333°S 167.2666667°E / -78.0833333; 167.2666667. An ice-filled cirque, 1 nautical mile (1.9 km; 1.2 mi) wide, located 1 nautical mile (1.9 km; 1.2 mi) southwest of Kienle Cirque on the west side of White Island. Named by US-ACAN (1999) after Dianne L. Marshall, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, who investigated the volcanic activity and seismicity of nearby Mount Erebus in 1981-82 and 1982-83.

Kienle Cirque

78.0666667°S 167.35°E / -78.0666667; 167.35. An ice-filled cirque, 2 nautical miles (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) wide, the largest cirque on the west side of White Island. Named by US-ACAN (1999) after Juergen Kienle, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, a team leader for the investigation of volcanic activity and seismicity at nearby Mount Erebus in six seasons, 1980-81 through 1985-86.

Speden Bench

78.028715°S 167.418146°E / -78.028715; 167.418146. A bench about 45 metres (148 ft) high on the west side of White Island, 1 nautical mile (1.9 km; 1.2 mi) from the north end. The bench comprises the northwest-most moraine-covered volcanic outcrops on the island, upon which occur tuffaceous conglomerate block and shell fragments of the Scallop Hill Formation. Named by US-ACAN (1999) after Ian G. Speden, New Zealand Geological Survey, DSIR, who, accompanied by A.C. Beck, collected fossiliferous deposits here, December 22, 1958.

Cape Spencer-Smith

78°00′S 167°27′E. The northernmost cape of White Island. Named by the NZGSAE (1958-59) for the Rev. Arnold P. Spencer-Smith, chaplain with the Ross Sea Party of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition (1914-17), who died on March 9, 1916, on the return journey after laying the depots to Mount Hope for Shackleton's party. He had suffered from scurvy and had been carried for 40 days on a sledge by his companions prior to his death.

Sources

• Alberts, Fred G., ed. (1995), Geographic Names of the Antarctic (PDF) (2 ed.), United States Board on Geographic Names, retrieved 2024-01-30  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Board on Geographic Names.
• "Castellini Bluff", Geographic Names Information System, United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior
• "Davis Bluff", Geographic Names Information System, United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior
• "Dibble Bluff", Geographic Names Information System, United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior
• "Kienle Cirque", Geographic Names Information System, United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior
• "Marshall Cirque", Geographic Names Information System, United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior
• Mount Discovery, USGS: United States Geological Survey, retrieved 2024-02-23
• "Speden Bench", Geographic Names Information System, United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Geological Survey.