Telefon Bay, Deception Island (TELE)
62˚56’S, 60˚40’W Magnetic declination: 13.0˚E Inventory subarea: SH Inventory acronym: TELE Site Sensitivity: LOW Location — History — Features A small bay on the NW side of Port Foster, Deception Island, named for a salvage vessel that moored in the bay in 1909, awaiting repairs. From a wide, flat, black-sand beach, an apron of this same material slopes gently upward to the steep face of the cinder-covered glacier, about 300 meters inland, which extends over an inner caldera rim. The rising slope extends to a ridge of black, cinder-covered volcanic material, which forms the E edge of one of the recent eruption craters. The crater has a flat floor with a small, shallow lake at its E end. The W end of the crater is being filled by a melt-water stream that enters the crater on the NE side. The upper edges of the principal crater walls show concentric cracking and are likely to slip and collapse. The ground is completely covered with a thick layer of recent coarse volcanic ash and small lapilli. There is no soil. The axis of the valley, when covered with snow, has a deep layer of water and mud underneath the snow and is nearly impassable. The ridge line, although also muddy, has a thinner cover of snow and is more easily passable. The beach has a flat profile both under water and up into the valley between the explosion craters to the W and the volcanic hills to the E within the caldera. At the E end of the beach is a wave-cut terrace at sea-level, which contains hot pools. Round piles of harder basaltic material are disposed along the crater rim, and there is debris remaining from volcanic bombs up to 20-30 centimeters in diameter, which were ejected from the crater during recent eruptions. These bomb fragments easily break apart. The main eruption crater is directly against the E-rim glacier (Goddard Hill-Mt. Pond Ice Cap), and its NE wall is actually formed by the glacier itself. The recent eruptions may have been partially through the ice. The glacier face is completely covered by black ash and cinders, which insulate it and retard melting. Landing Characteristics This is the site of the most recent volcanic eruption at Deception Island, and wildlife are generally absent. The pathway to the caldera becomes a potpourri of footprints in the ash. Antarctic Site Inventory Effort Visits by Antarctic Site Inventory researchers, 1994-2003: 1. November 29, 1995 RN LB Explorer 2. November 26, 1996 RN Explorer 3. December 18, 1999 RN Cal Star 4. February 18, 2002 RN Endeavour 5. December 30, 2002 RP Endeavour 6. January 9, 2003 SF Endeavour 7. February 15, 2003 MB Endeavour Assessment and monitoring. Only preliminary surveying, censusing, and photodocumentation has been accomplished. Fauna — Flora — Censuses Penguins & flying birds . No site-specific penguin breeding populations are listed in Woehler (1993) and Woehler & Croxall (1996). Seals . None. Flora . None observed. Melt pools near the landing beach may contain algae. Conservation Aspects Site sensitivities. Caldera rim is eroding and unstable. Pointers for avoiding disruptions.
Visitation Aspects Numbers of tourist zodiac landings and participating visitors, 1989-2003:
Proximate visitor sites. There are two other visitor sites “inside” Port Foster: Whaler’s Bay and Pendulum Cove. Baily Head lies on the SE, seaward side of the island, Vapour Col on the E, seaward side. |
