Zavodovski Island facts for kids
NASA image of Zavodovski Island
(viewed from space) |
|
 Zavodovski Island
Location in Atlantic Ocean
|
|
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Southern Ocean |
| Coordinates | 56°18′S 27°35′W / 56.30°S 27.58°W |
| Area | 25 km2 (9.7 sq mi) |
| Length | 4 km (2.5 mi) |
| Width | 3.8 km (2.36 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 551 m (1,808 ft) |
| Highest point | Mount Curry |
| Administration | |
|
United Kingdom
|
|
| Demographics | |
| Population | uninhabited |
Zavodovski Island is a wild and stormy volcanic island in the freezing Southern Ocean. It is part of the Traversay Islands group in the icy South Sandwich Islands, located far south in the South Atlantic Ocean. The island belongs to a UK Overseas Territory shared with South Georgia. Zavodovski has no human residents, but it is famous because hundreds of thousands of seabirds make their nests there.
The island was shaped by fire and ice. At its center stands Mount Curry, an active stratovolcano that rises over 550 meters into the air. Frozen sea ice drifts past the shores in late winter, while floating icebergs frequently glide by.
Contents
Discovering the Landscape of Zavodovski Island
The island looks like a rough diamond in the ocean. It measures about 4 kilometers long and 3.8 kilometers wide. Giant ocean waves crash against steep rocky cliffs that rise up to 30 meters high.
Gentle slopes made of old lava flows spread out across the eastern side. This flatter ground makes an ideal landing spot for swimming birds coming ashore. In contrast, the western side has craggy cliffs created by an ancient landslide that tumbled into the deep sea.
Because the volcano produces underground heat, Zavodovski has very little ice compared to other Antarctic islands. Small snow fields and thin icy patches sit on the slopes, often covered by gritty dark ash. Beneath the water, rocky ridges connect the island to nearby places like Visokoi Island, Leskov Island, and a submerged peak called Protector Shoal.
What Causes the Volcanic Activity?
Deep under the seabed, great pieces of the Earth's crust move against each other. The South America Plate slides beneath the neighboring Scotia Plate in a slow process called subduction. This movement created an island arc containing eleven volcanic islands, including Candlemas Island, Saunders Island, Montagu Island, and Cook Island.
Most of the volcanic rock on the island is dark basalt. Crystals of minerals like olivine, augite, and clinopyroxene are locked inside the stone. Wind and water cause weathering, turning parts of the cliffs bright yellow and rust red.
An Active and Steamy Mountain
Mount Curry is one of the most active volcanoes in the region. Warm vents called fumaroles puff out gas and clouds of steam near the summit crater.
The volcano has erupted several times in recorded history. In March 2016, it blasted out a thick ash cloud and tossed glowing lava rocks onto the snowy hillsides. A satellite image can easily detect heat from the ground, which keeps large areas completely bare of snow.
Incredible Animals and Plant Life
Life on Zavodovski Island must survive extreme subantarctic winds and freezing temperatures. Simple plants such as green moss and tiny bryophytes grow near damp rock crevices. Microscopic soil creatures, including tiny mites, live alongside them, and hardy algae spreads over sea rocks.
Penguins and Ocean Birds
Zavodovski is best known as a bustling home for swimming penguins. Hundreds of thousands of macaroni penguins and chinstrap penguins gather here to raise their chicks. Small groups of king penguins and gentoo penguins visit the rocky beaches as well.
The island once held the title for the single largest penguin colony in the world. However, numbers of chinstrap penguins dropped after supplies of their favorite food, Antarctic krill, moved farther south. Today, a colony of Adélie penguins at Cape Adare in Antarctica holds the top record.
Many other flying seabird species nest along the rugged crags. Flocks include:
- Antarctic fulmars and spotted cape petrels
- Pale snow petrels and hovering Wilson's storm petrels
- White-winged Antarctic terns and soaring kelp gulls
- Fierce southern giant petrels and blue-eyed shags
Along the rocky coastlines, large groups of Antarctic fur seals rest after hunting fish in the waves.
Exploring History and the Island's Famous Smell
Russian explorer Thaddeus von Bellingshausen officially discovered the island in December 1819 during the famous Bellingshausen expedition. He named it in honor of Ivan Zavodovsky, an officer on his sailing ship. Early sailing ships hunting seals and whales occasionally stopped by during the nineteenth century.
The Stinky Names of the Island
Sailors quickly realized that Zavodovski Island had an unforgettable stench! Thousands of nesting birds produce huge amounts of smelly ammonia. At the same time, underground volcanic vents belch out stinging sulfur gas.
Visitors can smell the island miles away before they even spot land. Mapmakers gave funny names to the local spots based on these powerful odors:
- Stench Point and Reek Point
- Pungent Point and Acrid Point
- Noxious Bluff and Fume Point
Today, the island is strictly protected as part of a giant marine protected area. Although tourists aboard a polar cruise ship occasionally view the bustling wildlife from offshore, the land remains untouched and wild. Only an automated unmanned weather station sits ashore to record the roaring southern winds.
See also
In Spanish: Isla Zavodovski para niños
