Bluff Island (Antarctica)

For the similarly named island on the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, see Murray Island (Antarctica).
Bluff Island
Bluff Island is located in Antarctica
Bluff Island
Bluff Island
Location in Antarctica
Geography
LocationAntarctica
Coordinates68°33′S 77°54′E / 68.550°S 77.900°E / -68.550; 77.900
Administration
Administered under the Antarctic Treaty System
Demographics
PopulationUninhabited

Bluff Island is an island lying 1 kilometre (0.5 nmi) south of Magnetic Island and 4 kilometres (2 nmi) west of the Breidnes Peninsula, Vestfold Hills, in Prydz Bay, Antarctica. It was mapped from aerial photos taken by the Lars Christensen Expedition, 1936–37, re-emapped by the Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (1957–58) and so named because the south end of the island is marked by a steep cliff face.[1]

Important Bird Area

The island forms part of the Magnetic Island and nearby islands Important Bird Area (IBA), comprising Magnetic, Turner, Waterhouse, Lugg, Boyd and Bluff Islands, along with the intervening islands and marine area. The site was designated an IBA by BirdLife International because it supports large colonies of Adélie penguins totalling some 29,000 breeding pairs, based on 2012 satellite imagery.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Bluff Island". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2011-05-19.
  2. ^ "Magnetic Island and nearby islands". BirdLife Data Zone. BirdLife International. 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2020.


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