Map of Graham Land, showing Vega Island (7) | |
Geography | |
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Location | Antarctica |
Coordinates | 63°50′S 57°25′W / 63.833°S 57.417°W |
Archipelago | James Ross Island group |
Administration | |
None
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Demographics | |
Population | 0 |
Additional information | |
Administered under the Antarctic Treaty System |
Coordinates: 63°50′S 57°25′W / 63.833°S 57.417°W Vega Island is a small island to the northwest of James Ross Island, on the Antarctic Peninsula. It is separated from James Ross Island by Herbert Sound. The island was named by Otto Nordenskjold, leader of the Swedish Antarctic Expedition (1901-04) in honor of the ship making the first voyage through the Northeast Passage, 1878-79.
Vega Island is an important site for paleontology. The region is extremely rich in terrestrial and marine fossils which span the boundary of the Cretaceous and Tertiary periods, covering the point in time when dinosaurs became extinct. Fossils found on the island include hadrosaurs, plesiosaurs, and mosasaurs.