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Victoria University Antarctic Research Expedition Science and Logistics Reports 1969-70: VUWAE 14

(e) White Island

(e) White Island

White Island (25 kms south of Scott Base) is mostly aproned by glacial moraine. Fragments of the pecten Chlamys andersoni, and worm tubes were located at the northernmost point, as found by Speden (1962). Undoubtedly the same fossils as the Scallop Hill Formation, they range up to 54 m a. s. l.

The most conspicuous features on White Island are five page 21 glacial benches on the north side of the island. These were measured in altitude using a barometer and are at approximately 114 m, 177 m, 246 m, 300 m and 340 m above sea level. None of these features could be correlated with distinctive moraines reported from Black Island by Vella (1969). No diagnostic kenyte or Tertiary fossiliferous erratics were sighted. It can only be suggested that the Black Island benches were cut by an expanded Koettlitz Glacier, whilst White Island has been subjected to the Ross Ice Shelf.

A few volcanic rock samples were collected from the north facing cliffs and from the summit of Mt. Heine for further detailed work.

White Island would appear to consist of at least two coalescing basalt shield type volcanoes which have been eroded by cirque development at a period of lower sea level. The two vents lie along a north-south line, with the northern vent represented by a large oval crater on the northwestern side of the island. The later history is dominated by the building of many small basalt cones with their remnant craters scattered over most areas of the island. From the general topographic appearance and the lack of trachyte eruptions, it is considered that the island is the last phase of the basalt - trachyte - basalt sequence noted by Cole and Ewart (1968) on Black Island and Brown Peninsula (both of which lie within 30 km to the west of the island), White Island is probably considerably younger in age than either of the latter two areas.