Sarigan
Sarigan from the east
|
|
 |
|
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 16°42′N 145°47′E / 16.700°N 145.783°E |
| Archipelago | Northern Mariana Islands |
| Area | 4.5 km2 (1.7 sq mi) |
| Length | 2.7 km (1.68 mi) |
| Width | 2.5 km (1.55 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 538 m (1,765 ft) |
| Administration | |
|
United States
|
|
| Commonwealth | Northern Mariana Islands |
| Demographics | |
| Population | - uninhabited - (2010) |
Sarigan is an uninhabited volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. territory. Sarigan is located 37 kilometers (20 nmi) northeast of Anatahan island, 67 km (36 nmi) south of Guguan and 150 km (81 nmi) north of Saipan, the largest island in the Northern Marianas.
Sarigan is roughly triangular in shape, with a length of 2.7 kilometers (1.7 mi) and a width of 2.5 km (1.6 mi) and an area of 4.5 km2 (1.7 sq mi). The island is the summit of Holocene era stratovolcano which rises to an altitude of 538 m (1,765 ft) above sea level at its highest peak. The volcano is topped by a caldera, 750 meters in diameter, with an ash cone and two lava domes, which produced lava flows which reached the coast. No eruptions have been recorded in the historical period, although a swarm of volcano-tectonic earthquakes took place here in the summer of 2005.
Landing on Sarigan is difficult because perpendicular cliffs surround the island. It has many ravines and valleys with dense tropical vegetation.
Approximately 12 km (6.5 nmi) south of Sarigan is the South Sarigan Seamount, a submarine volcano with several peaks, with a maximum height of approximately 184 meters below sea level. It briefly erupted in May 2010 producing a plume of water vapor approximately 12 kilometers high.
Sarigan was originally settled by the Chamorros. The island was first charted by Europeans in late October 1543 by Spanish explorer Bernardo de la Torre on board of the carrack San Juan de Letrán when trying to return from Sarangani to New Spain. In 1695, the natives were forcibly removed to Saipan, and three years later to Guam.
...
Wikipedia