Bristol Island

Bristol Iceland (Spanish Isla Blanca) is one of the located in the South Atlantic South Sandwich Islands. The island belongs politically to the British overseas territory of " South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands " is, but also claimed by Argentina.

Geography

The uninhabited and 98% ice- covered volcanic island located south of Montagu Iceland and north of Iceland Morell. With an area of 46 km ² is Bristol Iceland, behind the islands Iceland Montagu and Saunders, the third largest in the South Sandwich Islands.

Bristol Iceland is basically only of several overlapping stratovolcanoes, some of which are still active today. Outbreaks were last registered in the years 1823, 1935, 1936, 1950 and 1956.

The three rocky islets Grindle rock, rock and Wilson Freezland rock are upstream of the island to the west.

History

Bristol Iceland was discovered in 1775 by the English navigator James Cook and named after the British naval officer John Augustus Hervey, 3rd Earl of Bristol ( 1724-1779 ), Cape Bristol, because he thought it were the tip of a larger country. Only Fabian von Bellingshausen presented in 1820 the island character fixed. The first known landing at Bristol Iceland took place in 1908 by the Norwegian whaler Carl Anton Larsen.