Herald Island (Arctic)
The Herald Island (Russian Остров Геральд ) is a Russian island approximately 60 km east of Wrangel Island in the Chukchi Sea. The island is very rugged and surrounded by cliffs. It is thus difficult to reach by boat. The only anlandbare site is at the northwest point of the island, where the cliffs have crumbled by the weather in loose rocks and gravel. The island has an area of about 20 km ². The highest point of the island lies 372 meters above the sea. The island is uninhabited and has, despite its northern location, no glaciers. It belongs administratively to the Autonomous District of the Chukchi and thus to Russia. Since 1976, the island belongs to the Wrangel Island Nature Reserve.
Geology
The Herald - island consists of metamorphic rocks, sediments and igneous rocks. On the northeast tip of the island, there is a 600 m thick rock formation of sandstone, phyllite, quartz sandstone, and syenite Mylonitverbindungen. These rocks were formed in the Proterozoic or late Paleozoic. The main part of the island consists of plutonem granite, which was formed in the Jura.
Climate
For most of the year in excess of the Herald Island cold air masses from the Arctic. In the summer blows warmer and more humid air from the south-east Pacific. At this time, dry and very warm air masses from Siberia to reach the island. From mid-May to July 20, takes the polar day. The polar night lasts from mid-November until the end of January. The average temperature in January is -21.3 ° C, however, the coldest months are February and March. During this time the temperatures for several weeks may be below -30 ° C, to which there are regular snow storms with wind speeds of 40 m / s or more. Summers are cool, frost or snowfall come not rare. In July, the average temperature varies between 2 ° C and 2.5 ° C. The relative humidity is about 88%. Over a year fall about 120 mm of precipitation.
History
On the discovery and exploration of Herald Island several nations have been involved. The island was discovered in 1849 by the British Royal Navy officer Henry Kellett with the frigate HMS Herald during a search for the lost expedition of Rear Admiral John Franklin. Kellett landed on the island and named it after his ship. The next ships that visited the island, were the USS Vincennes in 1855 under John Rodgers and USS Jeannette under George W. DeLong on September 4, 1879. DeLong but not landed on the island. 1916 told the Russian ambassador in London, in a letter that he saw the Herald Island and other Arctic islands as part of the Russian Empire. From this land claim and the Soviet Union did not advance from. The Soviet icebreaker Georgy Ushakov under Stavropol approached the island in 1926, but was not too thick ice is able to land on the island. The Soviet icebreaker Krasin also made in 1953 on the way to Wrangel another attempt to land on the island. The operation failed because of the thick fog. The landing took place but then on the way back.
Some American people demand due to the American landing in 1855 the return of the islands from Russia to the United States. The demand was supported in 1988 by a resolution of the Senate of Alaska. However, the U.S. agreed never entitled to it and accept the Herald and some other islands as Russian territory. So also ruled 1994, the Alaska Supreme Court, that these islands are not part of Alaska.
In 2004, the Wrangel Island Nature Reserve was included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.