Disko Island ( kl, Qeqertarsuaq, da, Diskoøen) is a large island in

Baffin Bay Baffin Bay ( Inuktitut: ''Saknirutiak Imanga''; kl, Avannaata Imaa; french: Baie de Baffin), located between Baffin Island and the west coast of Greenland, is defined by the International Hydrographic Organization as a marginal sea of the Arct ...

, off the west coast of Greenland. It has an area of ,Norwegian University of Science and Technology
making it the second largest of Greenland after the main island and one of the 100 largest islands in the world.

Etymology

The name means ''The Large Island'' (from = island).

Geography

The island has a length of about , rising to an average height of , peaking at . The port of Qeqertarsuaq (named after the island, and also known as Godhavn) lies on its southern coast. Blæsedalen valley is north of Qeqertarsuaq. The island is separated from Nuussuaq Peninsula in the northeast by the

Sullorsuaq Strait Sullorsuaq Strait (old spelling: ''Suvdlorssuaq'', da, Vaigat) is a strait on the western coast of Greenland. Geography The strait separates Nuussuaq Peninsula in the northeast from Qeqertarsuaq Island in the southwest. The strait waterway co ...

. To the south of the island lies

Disko Bay Disko Bay ( kl, Qeqertarsuup tunua; da, DiskobugtenChristensen, N.O. & al.Elections in Greenland. ''Arctic Circular'', Vol. 4 (1951), pp. 83–85. Op. cit. "Northern News". ''Arctic'', Vol. 5, No. 1 (Mar 1952), pp. 58–59.) is a large ...

, an inlet bay of Baffin Bay.''Nuussuaq'', Saga Map, Tage Schjøtt, 1992

History

Erik the Red Erik Thorvaldsson (), known as Erik the Red, was a Norse explorer, described in medieval and Icelandic saga sources as having founded the first settlement in Greenland. He most likely earned the epithet "the Red" due to the color of his hair a ...

paid the first recorded visit to Disko Island at some time between 982 and 985; the island was used as a base for summer hunting and fishing by Norse colonists.

Geology

Native terrestrial iron from the Tertiary of Greenland

Mineral deposits, fossil finds and geological formations add to interest in the area. One of the interesting geological features is the native iron found at the island. A 22-ton (44,000 lbs; 20 tonnes) lump mixture of iron and iron carbide ( cohenite) has been found. There are only a few places on earth where native iron is found which is not of

meteoric A meteoroid () is a small rocky or metallic body in outer space. Meteoroids are defined as objects significantly smaller than asteroids, ranging in size from grains to objects up to a meter wide. Objects smaller than this are classified as micr ...

origin. There are numerous hot springs on the island. The microscopic animal '' Limnognathia'', the only known member of its phylum, was discovered in the Isunngua spring.

Biodiversity

Several studies on the meiofauna show high marine interstitial diversity in Disko Island. For instance, the gastrotrich species '' Diuronotus aspetos'' is found in Iterdla and Kigdlugssaitsut and is so far reported only in Disko Island. It is associated with a rich diversity of other gastrotrichs like '' Chaetonotus atrox'', '' Halichaetonotus'' sp., '' Mesodasys'' sp., '' Paradasys'' sp., '' Tetranchyroderma'' sp., '' Thaumastoderma'' sp. and ''

Turbanella ''Turbanella'' is a genus of gastrotrichs belonging to the family Turbanellidae. The genus has almost cosmopolitan distribution. Species Species: *''Turbanella ambronensis'' *''Turbanella aminensis'' *''Turbanella amphiatlantica'' Referen ...

'' sp.

References

{{Authority control Islands of Baffin Bay Disko Bay Islands of Greenland