Marble Island
| Marble Island | ||
|---|---|---|
| Waters | Hudson Bay | |
| Archipelago | Canadian Arctic Archipelago | |
| Geographical location | 62 ° 41 ′ N , 91 ° 7 ′ W | |
|
||
| length | 11 km | |
| width | 3 km | |
| Highest elevation | 90 m | |
| Residents | uninhabited | |
Marble Island is an uninhabited island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago in the Kivalliq region of Nunavut Territory , Canada . During the heyday of seafaring, the island was valued as a winter haven when staying in the Arctic Ocean .
geography
Marble Island is located in northern Canada in western Hudson Bay . The next inhabited village is Rankin Inlet , 42 km WNW of the island.
The island measures eleven kilometers from west to east and is a maximum of three kilometers wide. It reaches heights of over 90 meters in the center.
geology
The island consists of a sedimentary rock called greywacke that is interspersed with quartzite . The quartzite gives the island its white, marble-like character.
Flora and fauna
Marble Island is above the tree line and consists entirely of rock. There is only a small number of flora, mainly made up of lichens and deciduous mosses . Therefore, the number of animals that occur is essentially limited to the polar bear , the arctic fox , the polar hare and lemmings . The island is visited by a large number of bird species, including ducks , birds of prey and unidentified 'little brown birds'. Marine mammals , including various species of whales and seals, are abundant near the island . Because of the large number of marine animals, Marble Island is a traditional Inuit summer hunting area .
history
An expedition in search of the Northwest Passage led by James Knight of the Hudson's Bay Company failed when it ran aground on the island. Despite the help of the local Inuit, all expedition members died of malnutrition and diseases, especially scurvy , by 1722 . Her remains were discovered by Samuel Hearne in 1769 .
Marble Island was very popular with whalers between 1870 and 1887 , but whaling was completely abandoned by 1890 as few whales could be found nearby and ice conditions became difficult and unpredictable. The whaling ship Orray Taft sank nearby before the crew left it. There are several graves of the ship's sailors on the island. This fact contributed significantly to the island 's nickname - Deadman's Island (Island of the Dead).
Today the island is an Inuit holy place. They expect visitors to crawl to the coast, otherwise they will die exactly one year later.
Individual evidence
- ^ The Atlas of Canada
- ^ Marble Island: Geology
- ^ Marble Island: Wildlife
- ↑ Great Canadian Explorers: James Knight ( Memento of the original from February 15, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Marble Island: Hiking trails.
- ↑ The Forgotten Story of Inuit Whalers: Marble Island ( Memento of the original from December 13, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
literature
- Bell, Robert. Marble Island and the North-west coast of Hudson's Bay. Charleston: BiblioLife, 2009.