Murchison Promontory

Murchison Promontory (71°58′0″N 94°57′0″W), a cape (promontory) in the northern Canadian arctic,[1] is the northernmost mainland point of the Americas and of Canada.[2][3] Located 1,087 nautical miles (1,251 mi; 2,013 km) from the North Pole, it is 64 km (40 mi) farther north than Point Barrow, Alaska, the northernmost point of all U.S. territory.[4]

Murchison Promontory
Location in Nunavut Territory, Canada[1]
Satellite image with the Murchison Promontory on the Boothia Peninsula at center-right, just below Somerset Island and to the right of Prince of Wales Island

Geography
MS Ocean Endeavour proceeding west to east along Bellot Strait, ahead is Zenith Point, northernmost point of continental North America, September 2019

Murchison Promontory extends along the northern edge of the Boothia Peninsula, parallel to and along the coast of the Bellot Strait, which separates it from Somerset Island. Situated in the Kitikmeot Region (Inuktitut: Qitirmiut) of Nunavut, its northernmost point, Zenith Point, is located at 72°00′00″N 94°38′59″W.[5][6] The nearest community is Taloyoak, approximately 250 km (160 mi) to the south.

History

The area was first explored in April 1852 by Canadian Captain William Kennedy and French explorer Joseph René Bellot while searching for traces of John Franklin's lost Arctic expedition.[7][8] The strait was then named after Bellot.

Irish born Francis Leopold McClintock also wintered in the area with his ship Fox in the winter of 1858 - 1859 in his search for the Franklin expedition.[9]

In 1937 Scot E. J. "Scotty" Gall passed the promontory on his ship "Aklavik" on the first crossing of the Bellot Strait[10] travelling from the western shore to the eastern for the Hudson's Bay Company.

References
  1. "Murchison Promontory". Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  2. Querying Geographical Names of Canada Archived 2011-06-08 at the Wayback Machine at Natural Resources Canada
  3. Murchison Promontory Archived 2012-09-27 at the Wayback Machine at the Atlas of Canada
  4. "The Northernmost Points In The United States". worldatlas.com. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  5. "Zenith Point". Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  6. "Somerset Island". Archived from the original on December 23, 2010. Retrieved 2010-09-25.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link) at Oceandots
  7. Francis Leopold McClintock at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography
  8. The Columbia Gazetteer of North America 2000 Archived 2007-03-11 at the Wayback Machine
  9. Bellot Strait at The Canadian Encyclopedia
  10. University of Calgary, Scotty Gall

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