Laurie Island facts for kids
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 Laurie Island
Location in Antarctica
A map of Laurie Island produced by the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition of 1903
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| Geography | |
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| Location | Antarctica |
| Coordinates | 60°43′43″S 44°31′05″W / 60.72861°S 44.51806°W |
| Archipelago | South Orkney Islands |
| Total islands | 1 |
| Area | 86 km2 (33 sq mi) |
| Administration | |
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Argentina/UK (disputed)
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| Administered under the Antarctic Treaty System | |
| Largest settlement | Orcadas Base (pop. 28) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 28 (2014) |
| Pop. density | 0.32 /km2 (0.83 /sq mi) |
Laurie Island is the second largest island in the South Orkney Islands. It is located in Antarctica. Both Argentina and the United Kingdom claim ownership of the island. However, a special agreement called the Antarctic Treaty System means that no country's claim is officially recognized. This is because Laurie Island is south of the 60° parallel, a line that marks the area covered by the treaty.
Two areas on Laurie Island, Buchanan Point and Cape Whitson, are very important for birds. Many different kinds of birds live and raise their young there.
Contents
History of Laurie Island
Who Discovered Laurie Island?
Laurie Island was first seen by Captains George Powell and Nathaniel Palmer in 1821. They were exploring the South Atlantic Ocean. Later, a mapmaker named Richard Holmes Laurie used Powell's notes to draw a map of the island. The island was then named after him.
Two years later, James Weddell also mapped the island. However, his maps were not as good as Powell's. Weddell tried to change the island's name to Melville Island, but the new name did not become popular. The Scottish National Antarctic Expedition later decided to keep the name Laurie Island.
First Scientific Studies on the Island
William S. Bruce led the first big scientific study of Laurie Island. This was part of the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition. Bruce and his crew arrived on Laurie Island in March 1903 on their ship, the Scotia.
They built the first settlement, called Omond House, using stones. This house was a shelter and a place to study the weather.
In January 1904, Bruce offered to give control of Omond House to the government of Argentina. The British Government had said they would not continue the scientific studies because they thought Laurie Island was not important. Bruce's team did not have the power to claim the island for Britain or Scotland.
Argentina accepted Bruce's offer. They continued to run the weather station at Omond House, which was later renamed Orcadas Base. Argentina sent a ship every year to bring supplies. Having a permanent settlement on Laurie Island was important for Argentina. It helped them try to claim a part of Antarctica as their own.
Disputes Over Ownership
By 1908, Britain changed its mind about Laurie Island. Britain officially claimed the South Orkney Islands, including Laurie Island. They made Laurie Island part of the Falkland Islands Dependencies. This meant the island would be under British rule from the Falklands. Argentina did not officially protest this claim at first. Britain thought this meant Argentina accepted their claim.
Britain believed that Bruce had only given the weather station to Argentina, not the whole island. The disagreement grew in 1925 when Argentina built a wireless telegraph station on the island. Argentina did not ask Britain for permission because they believed the island was theirs. This was the first time Argentina clearly stated it owned the island.
Britain considered giving the South Orkney Islands to Argentina to improve their relationship. However, Argentina's actions on Laurie Island made Britain's claim weaker. To make a deal, Britain first needed to make its own claim to the islands stronger.
Antarctica's First Post Office
Laurie Island is also home to the first post office ever built in Antarctica. After William S. Bruce gave the weather station to Argentina, Argentina started postal services there on February 20, 1904.
The post office closed for a while but reopened in 1942. Argentina did this partly to show its claim over the South Orkney Islands. In response, the British government said the post office was not legitimate. When a British ship, HMS Carnarvon Castle, visited Laurie Island, its crew was told not to send letters from there. This was to avoid supporting Argentina's claim to set up a post office on the island.
Geology of Laurie Island
What Rocks Make Up Laurie Island?
Most of Laurie Island is made of sedimentary rocks. The most common type is called the Greywacke-Shale Formation. Dr. John H. Harvey Pirie, a geologist on the Scotia expedition, described the rock as a "fine-grained greywacke of a blue-grey or greenish-grey colour."
This rock contains tiny pieces of many different minerals. The most common is quartz, but it also has feldspar, titanite, zircon, biotite, chlorite, and calcite. Pirie also found shale formations all over the island. These shale rocks were often broken and twisted.
Graptolite Island and Ancient Plants
Graptolite Island, which is off Laurie Island's south-east coast, has many of these shale formations. On Graptolite Island, Pirie found three fossils. He thought they were the remains of ancient sea animals called graptolites. This is why the island was named Graptolite Island.
Another scientist, Gertrude Elles, thought the fossils were a specific type of graptolite called Pleurograptus. However, later studies showed that these fossils were actually the remains of ancient plants, not animals.
Dating the Rocks
The age of the Greywacke-Shale Formation has been a topic of scientific discussion. Based on Pirie's mistaken idea that the fossils were graptolites, geologist I. Rafael Cordini thought the rocks were from the Ordovician Period. This would have made Laurie Island much older than scientists thought possible.
When the fossils were correctly identified as plant remains, the age of the Greywacke Formation was changed. It is now believed to be from the Carboniferous Period. This means the rocks are many millions of years younger than first thought.
Places on Laurie Island
- Buchan Bay
- Cape Hartree
- Cape Murdoch
- Ferguslie Peninsula
- Mossman Peninsula
- Route Point
- Scotia Bay
- Wilton Bay
See also
In Spanish: Isla Laurie para niños
