Hestesletten () is a glacial plain between the Hamberg Lakes and

Cumberland East Bay Cumberland East Bay is a bay forming the eastern arm of Cumberland Bay, South Georgia. It is entered between Sappho Point on Thatcher Peninsula and Barff Point on Barff Peninsula. It is nearly wide, and extends in a southeast direction. H ...

South Georgia South Georgia ( es, Isla San Pedro) is an island in the South Atlantic Ocean that is part of the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. It lies around east of the Falkland Islands. Stretching in the east� ...

. It is covered with tussock and is almost long in a northeast–southwest direction and wide. It is, along with

Salisbury Plain Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in the south western part of central southern England covering . It is part of a system of chalk downlands throughout eastern and southern England formed by the rocks of the Chalk Group and largely lies wi ...

, one of the few substantial flat areas on the island. Junction Valley slopes eastward from Echo Pass to Hestesletten, connecting the two. Zenker Ridge, a low moraine ridge, extends along the east side of Hestesletten. It runs southwest from Discovery Point at the entrance of

Moraine Fjord Moraine Fjord is an inlet long with a reef (a terminal moraine) extending across its entrance, forming the west head of Cumberland East Bay, South Georgia. It was charted by the Swedish Antarctic Expedition under Otto Nordenskjöld, 1901–04, wh ...

to Osmic Hill. Osmic Hill rises from the surrounding plan, marking the north limit of an undulating ridge of hills on the west side of Moraine Fjord. This area was first charted by the

Swedish Antarctic Expedition The Swedish Antarctic Expedition of 1901–1903 was a scientific expedition led by Otto Nordenskjöld and Carl Anton Larsen. It was the first Swedish endeavour to Antarctica in the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Background Otto Nordensk ...

, 1901–04, under Nordenskjöld. Both Zenker Ridge and Osmic Hill were named by the

Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is the United Kingdom's national polar research institute. It has a dual purpose, to conduct polar science, enabling better understanding of global issues, and to provide an active presence in the Antarctic on ...

(FIDS) following their sketch survey in 1951, both names being derived from chemical fixatives ( Zenker's fixative and

Osmic acid Osmium tetroxide (also osmium(VIII) oxide) is the chemical compound with the formula OsO4. The compound is noteworthy for its many uses, despite its toxicity and the rarity of osmium. It also has a number of unusual properties, one being that th ...

) used in biological work by the FIDS.

History

The name "Hestesletten" (

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

for "Horses' Plain") arose because a small herd of horses were introduced by the South Georgia Exploration Company in 1905, survived here for a number of years. During the

Falklands War The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial de ...

, on 25 April 1982,

Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...

landed here, and went to

King Edward Point King Edward Point (also known as KEP) is a permanent British Antarctic Survey research station on South Georgia island and is the capital of the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. It is situated in Cumberl ...

, where

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...

forces surrendered later that day.

References

Landforms of South Georgia Falklands War in South Georgia {{SouthGeorgia-geo-stub