Matthew Island (Matthew and Hunter Islands)
| Matthew Island | ||
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| Waters | Pacific Ocean | |
| Archipelago | Matthew and Hunter Islands | |
| Geographical location | 22 ° 21 ′ S , 171 ° 21 ′ E | |
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| surface | 0.7 km² | |
| Highest elevation | West Matthew 177 m |
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| Residents | uninhabited | |
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Matthew Iceland (Germanized Matthew Island , French Ile Matthew ) is an uninhabited island in the south Pacific . Together with Hunter Island , 72.6 kilometers to the east , it forms the group of Matthew and Hunter Islands .
geography
Matthew Island is 444 kilometers east of the French island of New Caledonia and 279 kilometers southeast of Aneityum , the southernmost island of Vanuatus . France sees the Matthew and Hunter Islands as part of their overseas territory , while Vanuatu claims them as part of their province of Tafea .
The island consists of a stratovolcano . It has two peaks, East Matthew and West Matthew, which are 200 meters apart. Only East Matthew existed until the middle of the 20th century. It was not until the 1940s that submaritime eruptions occurred, which initially created West Matthew as a separate island and then connected it to East Matthew. The area of the island was thus increased three times.
The East Matthew is made of basalt . Its 142 m high volcanic cone has been partially destroyed. It is believed that it originated from three lava flows. West Matthew has a conical summit with a height of 177 m . It was formed from lava flows and slag. The crater has broken to the northwest and created the coast there with a lava flow.
The last eruption so far occurred in 1956. Eruptions from 1966 and 1976 are unconfirmed. There is still volcanic activity on the island. Sulphurous fumaroles can be seen from the craters in the southeast .
history
Matthew was discovered on May 27, 1788 by the Englishman Thomas Gilbert , who named her after the ship's owner.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Matthew Island in the Global Volcanism Program of the Smithsonian Institution (English)
- ↑ Maillet, P., Monzier, M. Lefevre, C .: Petrology of Matthew and Hunter volcanoes, south New Hebrides arc Iceland (southwest Pacific) . In: J. Volcanol. Geothermal. Res. . 30, 1986, pp. 1-27.