Coppermine Peninsula

The Coppermine Peninsula: Fort William in the foreground

Coppermine Peninsula is a rugged, rocky promontory forming the north-west extremity of Robert Island in the South Shetland Islands of the British Antarctic Territory. It rises to 344 feet above the sea, and terminates in a headland known as Fort William (62°22’17"S, 59°43’30"W).

The peninsula lies between English Strait to the west and Carlota Cove to the east. It is linked to the peninsula to the southeast by a narrow isthmus bounded by Carlota Cove to the north and Coppermine Cove to the south. The peninsula is named in association with Coppermine Cove, a descriptive name given by sealers in about 1821 from the copper-coloured staining of the lavas and tuffs in the area.

Fort William

Fort William Point is the conspicuous flat-topped rocky headland forming the north-west extremity of Coppermine Peninsula and of Robert Island and thus the north-west entrance point of English Strait.

The headland was named by the early 19th century sealers who used it as a landmark for entering English Strait from the north. The name comes from its distinctive shape.

Antarctic Specially Protected Area

The Coppermine Peninsula has a regime of special environmental protection under the Antarctic Treaty System. All land west of a north-south line across the isthmus between Carlota Cove and Coppermine Cove, has been designated an Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA No. 112). The area is biologically rich, supporting a wide range of plant communities with associated invertebrate fauna. An exceptional feature of the vegetation is a 1.5 ha closed carpet of the mosses Calliergon sarmentosum, Calliergidium austro-stramineum and Drepanocladus uncinatus, overlying a thick layer of wet moss peat. It is one of the largest continuous stands of moss in the Antarctic. There are large numbers of bryophytes and lichens as well as Antarctic hair grass (Deschampsia antarctica).

Birds breeding at the site include chinstrap penguins, southern giant petrels, Wilson's storm petrels Antarctic terns, kelp gulls and brown skuas.

The isthmus is a haul-out site for southern elephant seals, Weddell seals and Antarctic fur seals.

Location

• Location map: 62°22’27"S, 59°42’46"W

References

• Gazetteer and Map of The British Antarctic Territory: Coppermine Peninsula
• Management Plan for Specially Protected Area No. 16 Coppermine Peninsula. Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty
• ASPA 112: Coppermine Peninsula, Robert Island, South Shetland Islands: Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty