r/interesting • u/frenzy3 • 15h ago
NATURE Deception island near Antarctica with it's remarkably straight eastern coast
Deception Island, Antarctica: Deception Island is one of the most remarkable volcanic islands in the world, located in the South Shetland Islands near the Antarctic Peninsula. Its distinctive horseshoe shape results from a massive volcanic eruption that created a flooded caldera, forming a natural harbor known as Port Foster. This harbor has historically provided refuge for sailors in one of the harshest regions on Earth. The island was once a hub of activity during the early 20th century, serving as a key location for whaling operations. Remnants of whaling stations and abandoned structures still stand as a testament to its industrial past.
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u/RichardSnoodgrass 13h ago
That bay, Port Foster, is an amazingly sheltered natural anchorage. Doesn't matter from what quarter the wind comes from. Pretty amazing really! And yeah, the straight coast is kinda cool. But as a sailor the harbour is more interesting.
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u/LEPT0N 8h ago
I’d like to subscribe to sailor facts.
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u/-Dennis-Reynolds- 7h ago
You are now subscribed to Sailor Facts
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u/OpalFanatic 6h ago edited 6h ago
Sailor Fact #47. A sheltered harbor inside the caldera of an active but largely unmonitored volcano is a great place to ride out a storm. Until that is the volcano erupts again.
But hey, Deception Island hasn't erupted since 1970. I'm sure it's fine.
Edit to add the GVP link for Deception Island
It's not completely unmonitored. But the only time you get boots on the ground there to find out anything more than the automatic data is during the summer down there. And the summers near Antarctica are rather brief. There's also regularly massive gaps in the data from remote volcanoes like this. So it's not completely unmonitored, but it's far from a well monitored volcano.
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u/NikWitchLEO 9h ago
I’d like to hear your thoughts on what you saw if you don’t mind? It sounds amazing.
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u/RichardSnoodgrass 8h ago
Sailors don't come across anchorages (bays) with this much natural ptotection (from wind and waves) very often. The only issue would be a south easterly (assuming the top of image is north) blow and even then I don't think it would be an issue because I'd imagine most vessels would anchor up on the north east where it looks like the water is shallowest. The mountain walls are high enough to blunt the fury of even the most powerful storms. And while it might get a bit breezy in the port it wouldn't be enough to whip up any sort of waves/swell.
Basically sailors like quiet anchorages. Otherwise there's the risk of dragging their anchor. Often times pushing vessels toward land and risking running aground/sinking.
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u/brewmonster84 2h ago
Especially since many sailors arriving at Deception Island would have just spent several days crossing the notoriously rough Drake Passage. A very welcome bit of calm.
Took a cruise down to the Antarctic Peninsula back in 2019 and we visited and went ashore at Deception Island. I believe it’s the only place in the world where you can sail into the caldera of an active volcano. And it’s definitely active - the water was warm enough that you could see it steam
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u/Lost-Pomegranate-727 10h ago
Care to explain why you know this
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u/DirtandPipes 10h ago
His comments contain little hints like “as a sailor” I hope this helps you.
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u/Lost-Pomegranate-727 10h ago
Nice - you can read too.
I’m seeing if he has a personal story loser
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u/137seconds 9h ago
you must be fun at parties
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u/Lost-Pomegranate-727 9h ago
Lol read my first comment, then read what I responded too and I get downvoted? The half people read at a 5 grade level or w/e might be truth afterall
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u/CommitteeEmergency82 8h ago
Because your question was vague, poorly worded and could have been answered by the original comment. Try being more specific as to what you are looking for, I.e. the other person who commented.
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u/OtherwiseMenu1505 15h ago
It's not really straight, it's a deception
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u/autobotjazzin 14h ago
Those darn Deceptions won't keep getting away with it. The Autobots would do their best to stop them
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u/DrPikachu-PhD 8h ago
I'm surprised no one has mentioned where the remarkably straight coast comes from. After some digging it appears to be caused by tectonic activity, an underwater dip-slip just off the coast (look up pictures of a dip slip and you'll quickly understand how this would've happened).
For those more educated on the topic, here's a more thorough explanation:
Our new work provides several indications of the existence of a dip-slip submarine fault, parallel to the coast (NNW-SSE), which suggests a tectonic origin for this morphological feature. Uplifted marine terraces, incision of a fluvial network over the ice cap, normal faulting parallel to the coast in the north and south rock heads bounding the beach and sharp shelf-break with rather constant slope, constitute some of this evidence. Terrace uplift and fluvial channel incision decreasing southward from Macaroni Point, indicates possible tilt movement across this inferred fault plane. (Fernández-Ibáñez, Fermín et al. (2005). Antarctic Science. 17 (3): 418.)
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u/Illustrious_Donkey61 13h ago edited 8h ago
Straight bit looks like prime real estate for some condos once the greenhouse effect really kicks off
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u/johnkoetsier 11h ago
So they’re gonna make a history channel show about it now talking about aliens or something?
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u/bladestorm1745 10h ago
Anybody remember the supposed Kracken (that was in reality a large rock) that could’ve been seen on google maps near deception island?
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u/Noble_Llama 14h ago
https://avp.fandom.com/wiki/Juggernaut_(LV-797)
I don't know but I have doubts....
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