The Rat Islands ( ale, Qax̂um tanangis, russian: Крысьи острова) are a group of American
volcanic islands
Geologically, a high island or volcanic island is an island of volcanic origin. The term can be used to distinguish such islands from low islands, which are formed from sedimentation or the uplifting of coral reefs (which have often formed ...
in the
Aleutian Islands in southwestern
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
, between
Buldir Island and the
Near Islands
The Near Islands or Sasignan Islands ( ale, Sasignan tanangin, russian: Ближние острова) are a group of American islands in the Aleutian Islands in southwestern Alaska, between the Russian Commander Islands to the west and the R ...
group to its west, and
Amchitka Pass
Amchitka Pass is a strait in Alaska, United States. It is located in the Aleutian Islands on the 180th meridian, between the Rat Islands
The Rat Islands ( ale, Qax̂um tanangis, russian: Крысьи острова) are a group of American ...
and the
Andreanof Islands
The Andreanof Islands ( ale, Niiĝuĝim tanangis, russian: Андреяновские острова) are a group of islands in the Aleutian Islands in southwestern Alaska. They are located at about 52° North and 172°57' to 179°09' West.
Geog ...
group to its east. The largest islands in the group are, from west to east,
Kiska
Kiska ( ale, Qisxa, russian: Кыска) is one of the Rat Islands, a group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. It is about long and varies in width from . It is part of Aleutian Islands Wilderness and as such, special permission is requir ...
,
Little Kiska,
Segula,
Hawadax or Kryssei,
Khvostof,
Davidof,
Little Sitkin,
Amchitka
Amchitka (; ale, Amchixtax̂; russian: Амчитка) is a volcanic, tectonically unstable and uninhabited
island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska. It is part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Ref ...
, and
Semisopochnoi. The total land area of the Rat Islands is 360.849 sq mi (934.594 km
2). None of the islands are inhabited.
The name ''Rat Islands'' is the English translation of the name given to the islands by Captain
Fyodor Petrovich Litke in 1827 when he visited the Aleutian Islands on a voyage around the world. The islands are named so because rats were accidentally introduced to
Rat Island in about 1780. , after a government-funded eradication program, Rat Island is believed to be rat-free; it was renamed Hawadax Island in 2012. However, a post-operation assessment found that many of the island's local bird populations were negatively impacted—there was a far higher-than-expected nontarget mortality. An internal
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...
Office of Law Enforcement investigation revealed that several laws may have been violated.
The Rat Islands are earthquake-prone as they are located on the boundary of the Pacific and North American tectonic plates. The
1965 Rat Islands earthquake
The 1965 Rat Islands earthquake occurred at 05:01 UTC, on 4 February (19:01, 3 February local time). It had a magnitude of 8.7 and triggered a tsunami of over 10 m on Shemya Island, but caused very little damage.
Tectonic setting
The Rat Islands ...
was one of the largest in
recorded history with a magnitude of 8.7.
[''20 Largest Earthquakes in the World'', United States Geological Survey. https://www.usgs.gov/natural-hazards/earthquake-hazards/science/20-largest-earthquakes-world]
References
Further reading
*
External links
Rat Islands: Blocks 1138 thru 1145, Census Tract 1, Aleutians West Census Area, AlaskaUnited States Census Bureau
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Islands of Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska
Volcanic groups
Islands of the Aleutian Islands
Islands of Alaska
Islands of Unorganized Borough, Alaska