Lyddan Island facts for kids

Lyddan Island is a large area covered in ice in Antarctica. It's found at the far southwestern edge of the Riiser-Larsen Ice Shelf, acting like a divider between it and the Brunt Ice Shelf. This icy land is about 37 kilometers (20 nautical miles) away from the Princess Martha Coast.

Lyddan Island is quite long, stretching about 83 kilometers (45 nautical miles). It has a unique shape with three narrow parts, like a three-leaf clover.

Discovering Lyddan Island

Lyddan Island was first seen and mapped on November 5, 1967. This happened during a special flight by W.R. MacDonald. He was part of a U.S. Navy team called Squadron VXE-6. They were flying an LC-130 aircraft, which is a large plane used for exploring icy places. Their mission was to check out the coast of Antarctica.

How Lyddan Island Got Its Name

After its discovery, the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names decided to name this icy land. They chose to name it after Robert H. Lyddan. He was a very important person who worked as the Chief Topographic Engineer for the United States Geological Survey. Since the 1950s, Mr. Lyddan had been a key part of planning and watching over maps being made in Antarctica. Naming the island after him was a way to honor his hard work in mapping the icy continent.

Is It Really an Island?

When Lyddan Island was first found, everyone thought it was a true island. This means they believed it was a piece of land completely surrounded by water. However, scientists have done more research since then. They found that the ground underneath all that ice is actually below sea level.

This discovery means that "Lyddan Island" might be better called an "ice rise". An ice rise is a dome-shaped area of ice that sits on top of a seabed or land that is below sea level. It's different from a true island because the land underneath isn't above the water. So, while it looks like an island from above, it's actually a special kind of ice formation.