Kermadec Islands
| Kermadec Islands | |
|---|---|
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| Waters | Pacific Ocean |
| Geographical location | 29 ° 17 ′ S , 177 ° 55 ′ W |
.svg) |
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| Number of islands | 6th |
| Main island | Raoul Island |
| Total land area | 34 km² |
| Residents | uninhabited |
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The Kermadec Islands or Kermadec Islands are a chain of islands in the southwestern Pacific that have belonged to New Zealand since 1887 and are part of the New Zealand Offshore Islands . The archipelago is named after the French navigator Jean Michel Huon de Kermadec .
Geography and geology
The subtropical - volcanic Kermadec Islands are located at about 30 ° south latitude and 177 ° west longitude . 983 km northeast of New Zealand (North Island) they are the northernmost outpost of this country, which is a special economic zone . Their total land area is 34 km² .
East of the Kermadec Islands is the deep sea channel of the Kermadec Trench , up to 10,047 m deep , in which the Pacific Plate pushes itself under the Australian Plate . This is the cause of the active volcanism of the Kermadec Islands, which are the tips of geologically young volcanoes rising from the sea floor . From December 2016 to January 2017, an expedition with the research vessel Sonne was dedicated to the underwater volcanoes in the Kermadec volcanic arc. The researchers studied the influence of hot springs on marine life, on the composition of the ocean and on the formation of marine mineral resources. They discovered several new hydrothermal fields, including at the Haungaroa volcano.
Residents
On the main island of Raoul Island (29.38 km²), formerly called Sunday, there is a meteorological station . Otherwise the island is just as uninhabited today as the smaller islands Macauley , Curtis , Cheeseman and L'Esperance . Raoul is also the only island on the island to have drinking water. Therefore, the traces of early Polynesian settlement are concentrated on Raoul. A European whaling station was operated there for a time in the 19th century , followed by tentative attempts at colonization by Europeans. There are several designated archaeological sites on Raoul.
environment
In November 1990, an area extending up to twelve nautical miles into the ocean was declared the Kermadec Islands Marine Reserve , New Zealand's largest marine reserve. The ocean currents around the Kermadec Islands are very important for the temperature equalization between the New Zealand mainland and the tropical waters. There are numerous corals that have not formed into reefs as is usual in the Pacific .
Wildlife
A subspecies of the goat's parakeet , the Kermadec goat's parakeet ( Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae cyanurus ), is native to the Kermadec Islands. The Tui also appears on Raoul . The Kermadec petrel, which is native to the entire South Pacific, is named after these islands and can be observed all year round in the waters around the archipelago. The New Zealand government exterminated the introduced goats (1984), cats (2002) and rats (2006) on the islands of Raoul and Macauley. Since then, a recovery in the populations of both seabirds and goat parakeets has been observed.
Web links
- Information about the natural and marine reserve (English)
- Percy Smith: Geological Notes on the Kermadec Group (1887)
- The Kermadec Islands at worldwildlife.org (English)
- Research expedition SO253 with the research vessel Sonne to the Kermadec volcanic arch
Single receipts
- ↑ https://www.bmbf.de/de/die-schornsteine-am-brothers-vulkan-haben-mich-sehr-beeirmedt-3864.html "I was impressed by the chimneys on the Brothers volcano" Interview with Prof. Dr . Andrea Koschinsky at bmbf.de, February 13, 2017
- ^ PJ Higgins (ed.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds , Volume 1, Ratites to Ducks, Oxford University Press, Oxford 1990, ISBN 0195530683 , p. 437
- ↑ http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-visit/auckland/kermadec-islands/kermadec-islands/features