Borden Island
- MODIS image
- 01 August 2006
- 03:15 UTC
Borden Island is the northernmost of a cluster of three islands — known as the Prime Minister Group — that are located at the western edge of the Queen Elizabeth Islands group. To the south, 18 km across the Wilkins Strait, lies MacKenzie King Island (visible at the bottom edge of the image) — the largest member of the trio of islands. Brock Island, the smallest of the main islands, is located 34 km off the southwestern tip of Borden Island. Significant neighbours in the region include Ellef Ringnes Island, located to the east around 100 km across the Prince Gustaf Adolf Sea. For administrative purposes the island is divided between Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.
At 2,794 km² in area, Borden Island measures 92 km in length (orientated east to west) with a maximum north to south width of 55 km. The island has two distinct types of terrain: a gravel-strewn landscape on the northern side (light-coloured in the above image) and a region of darker, more elevated, terrain in the south. Relief is low throughout the island — elevations of 10 m to 50 m above sea level are the norm over much of the northern half of the island. The southeastern section has more steeply sloping terrain, although maximum elevations do not exceed 150 m.
Unusually, for Arctic islands, there are no lakes on Borden Island. However, a network of many small rivers flow to the coasts, split by an east to west trending watershed that runs the entire length of the island.
Offshore are a number of smaller islands. These include around 25 islands that comprise the Jenness Island cluster (located off the western end of Borden Island) and the many small islets and offshore rocks that line the northern coastline of the island.
image: MODIS rapid response project at nasa/goddard space flight center
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