South Georgia Island

Credit: Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC, Posted on: Wednesday, 10 December 2003, 06:00 CST Download full size image

Located in the Southern Atlantic Ocean roughly 1,700 miles (2,735 km) due east of Argentina’s southernmost tip, South Georgia Island was a stop-over point for Sir Ernest Shackleton in November 1914. South Georgia Island is entirely covered by snow and ice in this striking true-color image acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), flying aboard NASA’s Terra satellite, on August 8, 2002. Some 105 miles (170 km) long and varying from 1 to 25 miles (2 to 40 km) wide, the island itself resembles a carved and weatherbeaten whalebone. The many dark shadows contrasting with the bright white surface reveal a rugged terrain, with eleven mountain peaks across the island standing taller than 2,000 meters (6,560 feet). Mount Paget’s peak, located near the center of the island, is the tallest, standing roughly 2,900 meters (9515 feet).

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