De Long Islands

The De Long Islands are in the cold north.

They are a group of small islands in Russia. No people live there.

Five islands make up this group. Bennett Island is the largest one. It has the highest peaks. Some islands have ice on them.

These islands sit in the sea. They used to be part of a large plain. Now that land is under the water.

Men found these islands a long time ago. They sailed through the ice to find them. It was a hard trip.

The De Long Islands are a group of islands in Russia.

They sit in the Arctic Ocean. Many people call them part of the New Siberian Islands. No people live on these islands.

Five islands make up this group. They are Bennett, Henrietta, Jeannette, Zhokhov, and Vilkitsky. Bennett Island is the largest. It has the highest point at 426 meters. Some islands have ice caps, which are thick layers of ice. These cover parts of Bennett, Henrietta, and Jeannette Islands.

These islands have a long history. A long time ago, they were part of a large land area. This area was called the Great Arctic Plain. Now, most of that land is under the sea.

Explorers found the islands in the late 1800s and early 1900s. George W. De Long led a trip to find three of them in 1881. Later, Boris Vilkitsky found the other two islands. Life there is very cold and hard. Even so, scientists have studied the rocks and the ice for many years.

The De Long Islands are a group of small islands in the Arctic Ocean.

They are part of the Sakha Republic in Russia. Many people also say they belong with the New Siberian Islands. No people live on these islands today. They sit very far north, around 77 degrees north. This group is made of five different islands. These are Bennett, Henrietta, Jeannette, Zhokhov, and Vilkitsky Islands.

Each island in the group is a different size. Bennett Island is the largest of them all. It also has the highest peak at 426 meters. Zhokhov Island is 77 square kilometers in size. Henrietta Island covers 12 square kilometers. Jeannette Island is 3.3 square kilometers. Vilkitsky Island is the smallest at 1.5 square kilometers. Altogether, the five islands cover 228 square kilometers.

These islands have a very old story written in their rocks. Scientists have found many types of rocks there. Some are very old, from the Early Paleozoic era. Others are younger, like the Neogene volcanic rocks. Long ago, these islands were part of the Great Arctic Plain. This plain once sat between Siberia and Alaska. Now, most of that plain is under the Arctic Ocean and the East Siberian Sea. The islands are what remains of that high land.

Explorers first found these islands a long time ago. In 1881, George W. De Long found three of them. His group was called the Jeannette Expedition. Later, Boris Vilkitsky found the other two islands. He found Vilkitsky Island in 1913 and Zhokhov Island in 1914. These discoveries happened during Russian Arctic expeditions. Some explorers even faced very hard times there. Baron Eduard Toll and his friends vanished near Bennett Island in 1902.

Today, the islands are part of Russia. Some people in the United States once thought they might belong to America. However, the U.S. government says they recognize the islands as Russian territory. The islands are very cold and often covered in ice. In 1996, ice caps and glaciers covered 80.6 square kilometers. Some islands, like Zhokhov, do not have glaciers. Henrietta Island even had a research station from 1937 to 1963.

The De Long Islands are an uninhabited archipelago located in the Arctic Ocean. They are part of the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic in Russia. Many geographers also include them as part of the New Siberian Islands. This group of islands sits far north, near 77 degrees north latitude. The archipelago is composed of five distinct islands. These are Bennett, Henrietta, Jeannette, Zhokhov, and Vilkitsky Islands. Together, these islands cover a total area of 228 square kilometers.

Each island within the group has a different size and shape. Bennett Island is the largest of the five. It also contains the highest point in the entire archipelago, which reaches 426 meters. Zhokhov Island covers 77 square kilometers. Henrietta Island is much smaller, at 12 square kilometers. Jeannette Island covers 3.3 square kilometers. Finally, Vilkitsky Island is the smallest, measuring only 1.5 square kilometers. The islands vary in their physical features. Some rise to peaks, while others are lower lying.

The geology of the islands reveals a complex history of volcanic and sedimentary activity. Scientists have mapped several different rock types across the archipelago. These include rocks from the Early Paleozoic, Middle Paleozoic, Cretaceous, and Neogene periods. The Early Paleozoic rocks consist of Cambrian and Ordovician sedimentary rocks. These are often found mixed with small amounts of limestone. Middle Paleozoic rocks include volcanic materials like basalt, andesite, and diorite. These rocks are often folded and faulted. Cretaceous rocks are made of basalts mixed with sandstones and argillites. The youngest rocks found there are Neogene basaltic volcanic rocks.

The islands have a deep connection to the ancient Great Arctic Plain. During the Last Glacial Maximum, this plain was a large landmass called Beringia. It connected Siberia and Alaska. At that time, sea levels were 100 to 120 meters lower than they are today. The De Long Islands were once major hills within this plain. Most of the Great Arctic Plain is now submerged under the Arctic Ocean. It also lies beneath the East Siberian Sea. The islands are the remaining parts of that former subaerial plain. This plain was not heavily covered by ice during the Late Pleistocene. It sat in the rain shadow of the Northern European ice sheet.

Climate and ice play a major role in the islands' environment. The archipelago is often very cold and partially covered by glaciers. In 1996, ice caps and glaciers covered 80.6 square kilometers of the islands. Small, passive ice caps formed during the extremely frigid polar climate of the Last Glacial Maximum. Fragments of these old ice caps still exist on Jeannette, Henrietta, and Bennett Islands. Zhokhov Island is different because it is unglaciated. However, scientists found traces of former glaciers on Zhokhov. These appear as buried ground ice deposits from the Late Weichselian period.

Exploration of the islands began in the late 19th century. In 1881, George W. De Long discovered Jeannette, Henrietta, and Bennett Islands. He led the Jeannette Expedition, which was named after his ship. In 1901, the Russian ship Zarya searched the Laptev Sea for Sannikov Land. The ship became trapped in fast ice near the New Siberian Islands. During this time, explorer Baron Eduard Toll and three others vanished. They disappeared in November 1902 while traveling on ice floes near Bennett Island. Later, Boris Vilkitsky discovered the remaining two islands. He found Vilkitsky Island in 1913 and Zhokhov Island in 1914.

The islands have also been used for scientific study. Henrietta Island hosted a research station for many years. This station operated from 1937 until 1963. While the islands are uninhabited now, they have been part of political discussions. Some individuals in the United States once claimed ownership of the islands. They based this on De Long's report of taking possession of Henrietta Island. However, the U.S. government does not support this claim. The U.S. Department of State recognizes the islands as Russian territory. The islands remain an important part of the Russian Arctic landscape.