|
Macquarie Island lies in the southwest Pacific Ocean, about half-way between New Zealand and Antarctica, at 54° 30' S, 158° 57' E.〔 Politically a part of Tasmania, Australia, since 1900, it became a Tasmanian State Reserve in 1978, and a World Heritage Site in 1997. It was a part of Esperance Municipality until 1993 when the municipality was merged with other municipalities to Huon Valley. The island is home to the entire royal penguin population during their annual nesting season. Ecologically, the island is part of the Antipodes Subantarctic Islands tundra ecoregion. Since 1948 the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) has maintained a permanent base, the Macquarie Island Station, on the isthmus at the northern end of the island at the foot of Wireless Hill. The population of the base, the island's only human inhabitants, usually varies from 20 to 40 people over the year. ==History== The Australian/Briton Frederick Hasselborough discovered the uninhabited island accidentally on 11 July 1810 when looking for new sealing grounds. He claimed Macquarie Island for Britain and annexed it to the colony of New South Wales in 1810. The island took its name after Colonel Lachlan Macquarie, Governor of New South Wales from 1810 to 1821. Hasselborough reported a wreck "of ancient design", which has given rise to speculation that the island may have been visited before by Polynesians or others.〔(Macquarie Island: a brief history — Australian Antarctic Division ). Antarctica.gov.au. Retrieved on 2013-07-16.〕 Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, who explored the area for Alexander I of Russia, produced the first map of Macquarie Island. Bellingshausen landed on the island on 28 November 1820, defined its geographical position and traded his rum and food for Macquarie Island's fauna with the sealers. Between 1810 to 1919, seals and then penguins were hunted almost to the point of extinction.〔 The conditions on the island and the surrounding seas were considered so harsh that a plan to use it as a penal settlement was rejected.〔 In 1877, the crew of the schooner ''Bencleugh'' was shipwrecked on the islands for four months; folklore says they came to believe there was hidden treasure on the island. The ship's owner, John Sen Inches Thomson, wrote a book on his sea travels, including his time on the island.〔 The book, written in 1912, was entitled ''Voyages and Wanderings In Far-off Seas and Lands''.〔 In 1890, New South Wales transferred the island to Tasmania,〔(Australian Antarctic Territory ). Worldstatesmen.org. Retrieved on 2013-07-16.〕 which leased it to Joseph Hatch (1837–1928) between 1902 and 1920 for his oil industry based on harvesting penguins. Between 1911 and 1914, the island became a base for the Australasian Antarctic Expedition under Sir Douglas Mawson. George Ainsworth operated a meteorological station between 1911 and 1913, followed by Harold Power (1913 to 1914) and by Arthur Tulloch from 1914 until it was shut down in 1915. In 1933, the authorities declared the island a wildlife sanctuary under the Tasmanian ''Animals and Birds Protection Act 1928'', and in 1972 it was made a State Reserve under the Tasmanian ''National Parks and Wildlife Act 1970''.〔(Parks & Wildlife Service - History of the Reserve ). Parks.tas.gov.au (2013-06-24). Retrieved on 2013-07-16.〕 The Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (ANARE) established its expedition headquarters on 25 May 1948 on Macquarie Island. On 5 December 1997, Macquarie Island was listed as a World Heritage Site mainly because of its unique geological features.〔 On 23 December 2004, an earthquake measuring 8.1 on the Richter magnitude scale (one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded) rocked the island but caused little damage. On 12 April 2008, a 7.1 earthquake on the Macquarie Fault occurred near Macquarie Island.〔(USGS Report )〕 Geoscience Australia issued a Tsunami Inundation Advice for Macquarie Island Station.〔Geoscience Australia Professional Opinion 2014/01〕 The paper indicates that in certain scenarios no warning of a significant tsunami caused by a local earthquake could be provided and would inundate the isthmus upon which the existing station resides. Such a Tsunami would likely affect other parts of the coastline and field huts located close to the shore. Such a significant earthquake at Macquarie Island capable of causing such a Tsunami is a high risk according to several papers. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Macquarie Island」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|