Graptolite Island

Graptolite Island is an island 0.8 km (0.50 mi) long in the north-east part of Fitchie Bay, lying off the south-east portion of Laurie Island in the South Orkney Islands of Antarctica. James Weddell's chart published in 1825 shows two islands in essentially this position. Existence of a single island was determined in 1903 by the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition under William Speirs Bruce, who so named it because what were thought to be graptolite fossils were found there.[1] Later analysis showed that the fossils on Graptolite Island were merely the remains of ancient plants.[2]

Important Bird Area

The island, along with the nearby Ferrier Peninsula, has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because together they support a large breeding colony of about 91,000 pairs of Adélie penguins as well as 14,000 pairs of chinstrap penguins.[3]

See also
  • List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands

References
  1. "Graptolite Island". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2012-05-03.
  2. Stone, Phil (September 2003). "Fossils from the South Atlantic: the geological legacy of the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition, 1902-1905". Edinburgh Geological Society. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  3. "Ferrier Peninsula / Graptolite Island, Laurie Island". BirdLife data zone: Important Bird Areas. BirdLife International. 2012. Retrieved 2012-12-21.

 This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Geological Survey document: "Graptolite Island". (content from the Geographic Names Information System)


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