Vega Island

Vega Island
Map of Graham Land, showing Vega Island (7)
Vega Island
Location in Antarctica
Geography
Location Antarctica
Coordinates 63°50′S 57°25′W / 63.833°S 57.417°W / -63.833; -57.417Coordinates: 63°50′S 57°25′W / 63.833°S 57.417°W / -63.833; -57.417
Archipelago James Ross Island group
Administration
Administered under the Antarctic Treaty System
Demographics
Population Uninhabited

Vega Island is a small island to the northwest of James Ross Island, on the Antarctic Peninsula. It is separated from James Ross Island by Herbert Sound. The island was named by Otto Nordenskjold, leader of the Swedish Antarctic Expedition (1901-04) in honor of the ship making the first voyage through the Northeast Passage, 1878-79.

Vega Island is an important site for paleontology. The region is extremely rich in terrestrial and marine fossils which span the boundary of the Cretaceous and Tertiary periods, covering the point in time when dinosaurs became extinct. Fossils found on the island include hadrosaurs, plesiosaurs, and mosasaurs.

See also

References

  • "Vega Island". Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR).
  • "New Dinosaur Finds in Antarctica Paint Fuller Picture of Past Ecosystem". National Science Foundation. February 6, 1998.
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