Montagu Island ( es, Isla Jorge) is the largest of the

South Sandwich Islands ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = , song = , image_map = South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands in United Kingdom.svg , map_caption = Location of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands in the southern Atlantic Oce ...

, located in the

Scotia Sea The Scotia Sea is a sea located at the northern edge of the Southern Ocean at its boundary with the South Atlantic Ocean. It is bounded on the west by the Drake Passage and on the north, east, and south by the Scotia Arc, an undersea ridge and ...

off the coast of

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

. It is a part of the

British Overseas Territory The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remna ...

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = , song = , image_map = South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands in United Kingdom.svg , map_caption = Location of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands in the southern Atlantic Oce ...

. It is located northeast from

Bristol Island Bristol Island ( es, Isla Blanco or ''Isla Blanca'') is an island lying midway between Montagu Island and Thule Island in the South Sandwich Islands. Its features include Harker Point, Fryer Point, Turmoil Point, Havfruen Peak, Trulla Bluff ...

and south from Saunders Island. The island was first sighted by

James Cook James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean an ...

in 1775, and named after

John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, PC, FRS (13 November 1718 – 30 April 1792) was a British statesman who succeeded his grandfather Edward Montagu, 3rd Earl of Sandwich as the Earl of Sandwich in 1729, at the age of ten. During his life ...

and the First Lord of the British Admiralty at the time of its discovery. The first recorded landing was made by the Norwegian whaler and explorer

Carl Anton Larsen Carl Anton Larsen (7 August 1860 – 8 December 1924) was a Norwegian-born whaler and Antarctic explorer who made important contributions to the exploration of Antarctica, the most significant being the first discovery of fossils for which ...

in 1908.

Geography

The desolate, uninhabited island measures approximately , with over 90% of its surface permanently covered in ice. The volcano

Mount Belinda Mount Belinda is a stratovolcano on Montagu Island, in the South Sandwich Islands of the Scotia Sea. A part of the British Overseas Territory, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Mount Belinda is also the highest peak in the South Sandw ...

is its most notable geographic feature, rising to above sea level. It was believed to be inactive prior to the sighting of low-level ash emission and suspected lava effusion in 2002 by the

British Antarctic 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 ...

Mount Belinda

In November 2005, satellite images revealed that an eruption of Mount Belinda had created a molten river flowing to the northern shoreline of the island. The event has expanded the area of the island by , and provided some of the first scientific observations of volcanic eruptions taking place underneath an ice sheet. , imaging on Google Earth shows the volcano to be active with a noticeable plume and lava flow. The effects on the ice sheet are visible.

Gallery

File:Montagu_Island_Satellite_Photograph.jpg, NASA satellite photograph of Montagu Island. File:Carl-Anton-Larsen.jpg, Captain Carl Anton Larsen.

Features

* Horsburgh Point, on the southwest side of Montagu Island *

Hueca Point Hueca Point () is the westernmost point of Montagu Island in the South Sandwich Islands. The name "Punta Hueca" (hollow point) was first used in Argentine hydrographic publications of 1953. References

Headlands of South Georgia and the Sou ...

, the westernmost point of Montagu Island * Leeson Point, the northeast corner of Montagu Island * Mount Oceanite, in the extreme southeast corner of Montagu Island

References

Sources

*
First recorded eruption of Mount Belinda volcano (Montagu Island), South Sandwich Islands, Bull Volcanol (2005) 67:415–422 (PDF)
* *

External links

* at Oceandots.com {{Portal bar, Islands, Environment, Geography, Earth sciences, Water, Weather Islands of the South Sandwich Islands Volcanoes of the Atlantic Ocean Volcanoes of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Uninhabited islands of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands