Southern Thule

Southern Thule

The western islands of Southern Thule
Geography
Location	Southern Atlantic Ocean
Coordinates	59°25′S 27°14′W / 59.42°S 27.23°W / -59.42; -27.23[1]
Archipelago	South Sandwich Islands
Administration
United Kingdom
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Southern Thule is a group of the three southernmost islands in the South Sandwich Islands in the southern Atlantic Ocean: Bellingshausen, Cook, and Thule (Morrell). It is a largely submerged volcano of which only the three islands emerge above sea level. Between Cook and Thule, and south of Bellingshausen, lie two submerged calderas; a third caldera is located on Thule. Cook Island is inactive and largely glaciated, while Bellingshausen and Thule feature active craters with fumarolic activity, and evidence of eruptions in the 20th century.

Around the fumaroles, vegetation consisting of mosses and lichens has grown. The islands are populated by penguins and seabirds which breed there. The islands were discovered in 1775 and are uninhabited. They are part of a marine protected area that is part of the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.