St. John's Island, Egypt

St. John's Island, Egypt

St. John's Island (also known as Zagbargad, Zebirget, Topazios) is the largest of a group of islands in Foul Bay, Red Sea in Southern Egypt. It covers an area of 4.50 square kilometres (approx.). It is not a quaternary volcanic island, but rather is believed to be an upthrusted part of upper mantle material. The nearest island is Rocky Island. The island is slightly north of the Tropic of Cancer, and its highest point is 235 metres.

Geology

The island is considered geologically unique as it is uplifted mantle, a fragment of the sub-Red Sea lithosphere. Rocks on the island are mainly lower crustal metamorphic rocks. The island became present above sea level after African and Asiatic continental plates converged to cause rocks in the lower crust to be uplifted. The island comprises three massives of peridotite, which are rich in the gemstone peridote = olivine. This gem makes the island notable as it is believed to be the first discovered source of peridot, which was called topazios in ancient times, hence the Greek name for the island, "Topazios". Layers of spinel-lherzolites with anhydrous Al-diopside pyroxenites and hydrous Cr-diopside pyroxenites can be found too on the island. The presence of all of these minerals has led to mining on the island which dates back as early as ancient times.

Nature

The island is part of the Elba National Park meaning the island is conserved. However, the island was closed to the public for one year due to damage to corals and the disturbance of birds who breed on the island.

Birds

The island serves as a breeding ground for at least 9 known species of birds. The most recent discovery was that of 150 pairs of Falco concolor (Sooty Falcon in October, 1994.

Plantlife

Vegetation on St. John's Island is very hard to find. Due to the island's lack of soil and infertile rocks, plants have nowhere to grow.

Corals & sealife

The corals surround the island and act as a barrier for the fish and other sea life which live among it. However, the corals recently became damaged due to increased tourist activity and the expansion of the diving industry on the island. The coral is located approximately 25 metres below the surface

Fish that can be found within the nearby waters and corals are:
*Rays
*Morays
*Octopus
*Crocodilefish
*Cuttlefish

Tourism

The island is located near coral reefs which serve as a popular diving attraction for tourists. The diving industry on the island has increased as well as the tourism industry on the island in general resulting in the construction of hotels and diving shelves. The beaches are often quiet and are relatively unspoilt by development. However, most tourists go to this island as a "stop-off" before going to Rocky Island in the south.

External links

* [http://giantcrystals.strahlen.org information about the geology and peridote mining]
* [http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/sites/?action=SitHTMDetails.asp&sid=6205&m=0 Bird Life Information]
* [http://www.h2odive.co.uk/destination/Egypt's_Marine_Park_Islands.html Diving Egypt's Marine Park Islands]
* [http://www.scuba-diving-safaris.co.uk/destinations/egypt/red_sea_marine_parks.htm Diving Information]
* [http://www.seaqueens.com red sea dive safaris covering all the red sea]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • St. John's Island — may refer to:* Saint John s Island, in Singapore * St. John s Island, Egypt * Shangchuan Island, in China, as translated * St. Ivan Island, in Bulgaria ( Ivan is the Bulgarian name corresponding to John ) See also * The former name for Prince… …   Wikipedia

  • John the Baptist — Saint John the Baptist John the Baptist by Bartolomeo Veneto 16th century Prophet, Preacher, Forerunner, Martyr Born c. 5 BC Died 3 …   Wikipedia

  • Egypt — /ee jipt/, n. 1. Arab Republic of. a republic in NE Africa. 64,791,891; 386,198 sq. mi. (1,000,252 sq. km). Cap.: Cairo. Arabic, Misr. Formerly (1958 71), United Arab Republic. 2. an ancient kingdom in NE Africa: divided into the Nile Delta… …   Universalium

  • Egypt — • Provides information on history, religion, and literature Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Egypt     Egypt     † …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • John D. Rockefeller, Jr. — John Davison Rockefeller, Jr. John D. Rockefeller Jr. Born January 29, 1874(1874 01 29) Cleveland, Ohio, U.S …   Wikipedia

  • John Pendlebury — John Devitt Stringfellow Pendlebury (12 October 1904 ndash; 22 May 1941) was a British archaeologist who worked for British intelligence during World War II. He died during the Battle of Crete. Early lifeJohn Pendlebury was born in London, the… …   Wikipedia

  • John of Ibelin (jurist) — John of Ibelin (1215 ndash; December 1266), count of Jaffa and Ascalon, was a noted jurist and the author of the longest legal treatise from the Kingdom of Jerusalem. He was the son of Philip of Ibelin, bailli of the Kingdom of Cyprus, and Alice… …   Wikipedia

  • John Hay Whitney — (August 27, 1904 February 8, 1982), colloquially known as Jock Whitney, was U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, publisher of the New York Herald Tribune , and a member of the Whitney family.FamilyBorn August 27, 1904, in Ellsworth, Maine,… …   Wikipedia

  • John Morphett — John Morphett, c. 1834 John Morphett, c. 1866 …   Wikipedia

  • John Robinson (sculptor) — John Robinson (4 May 1935 6 April 2007) was a British sculptor and co founder of the [http://www.bradshawfoundation.com Bradshaw Foundation] . Accounts of his work may be seen at the [http://www.JohnRobinson.com/ Robinson estate website] , the… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”