h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Islands - A3922120
Author: Gnomon - U151503

Do people think this has potential?

Potential yes. Could grow into something monstrous though.

Off the top of my head there are many legendary islands missed out (Avalon being one in particular).

And isn't Greenland referred to as Vinland now? Or is that just by the locals?

There's more islands in the EG to add as well. Vanuatu, Hawaii, Solomons, New Zealand...

No Donne quote?

Greenland isn't called Vinland. It has some Inuit name, but I don't know what it is.

Yes, it's a question of how much to include. I might be better reducing the list of the top 10 islands down to a much smaller list with a sentence or two about each.

I also need a section on Coral Island paradises.

I can think of at least one oddity that might be worth mentioning - a place called 'Treasure Island' (no, really!) It's an island-in-a-lake-in-an-island-in-a-lake'

Situated in Mindemoya Lake, which itself is on Manitoulin Island, in Lake Huron, Ontario.

Got a headache yet just trying to figure that one out?

Might be better as a collection of Entries (a Uni Project - plug, plug) perhaps? Islands - An Overview (an elaborated Entry on the first part of thisone), Island Paradises (looking at places like Hawaii, Vanuatu, Fiji etc and why they are so-called paradise's - maybe a bit on Gaugin), Legendary & Fictional Islands (Treasure Island/Coral Island Robert Louis Steveneson etc.), Islands vs Ismuth's(?sp) - looking at small islands and big islands) and Islands - How To Make One (creation of an island)?

Just a thought.

I might just reduce it to the creation of islands part. It may not look much, but I basically had to learn all about plate tectonics before I understood it myself.

ahh, well...yes. Shifting of plates and such forth. I keep my knowledge of that down to basic washing up

But that could be fascinating, with reference to Gondwanaland etc.

Leaves the other areas open for other Researchers too

Aw... the uni project idea was better.

I agree it has potential but don't know how best to get round the problem of there being so many islands which may be worth a mention.

Anyway, I did this once:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/classic/A4638936

and while it in itself isn't useful for your Entry, I do still have the book so could maybe contribute stuff about a number of islands.

Jules

I think this is an excellent idea, either for an entry or a Uni project. I really like the way you've put this together Gnomon - very inventive and creative.

One suggestion for consideration - mythical island creation stories to go alongside the 'How Natural Islands are Created' section. Plenty of island races and cultures have stories about how their island(s) came into being.

This backburned Gnomon? Or still bubbling away?

I haven't thought about this recently. I think it may need to be expanded into a project, but I'm busy with another project at the moment.

I'll be interested if you work more on this. For the time being I'll comment that Greenland was *owned* by Denmark. Saying "claimed" sounds as if they tried to own it but didn't (as in "until recently Northern Ireland was claimed by the Republic").

I think I will expand this into a small project, with contributions from others if they are interested, when I'm finished my current project. But I won't do anything before then.

I'm happy to contribute information on fictional Islands.

That would be great, Matt! But as I said, I'm not going to start working on this until I'm finished my current project, which will be at least another few weeks, given the time of year.

Oh, I've not really time now either - just scribbling my name down as it's a project I'm interested in

'Where an ocean tectonic plate collides with another ocean plate, the older plate (which will be thicker and heavier) is pushed under the younger one. It bends downward at an angle of 30 - 40° and continues on downwards into the hot mantle. As it is pushed further into the heat, it starts to melt, and the lighter material in the melting plate bubbles up, puncturing the younger plate and forming a line of volcanoes. An island arc is formed.'

Most Island arcs are due to the subduction of oceanic crust under continental crust. The relative age of the crust is of little importance, rather it is all about relative densities. The composition of oceanic crust means that it is denser than continental crust and as a result the continental material rides up over the oceanic plate forcing it down into the mantle. I can't think of any oceanic/oceanic plate boundries where subduction is occuring. The magma generally works its way to the surface via pre-existing weaknesses in the overlying crust rather than 'puncturing' it. Its interesting to note that magama can take tens of thousands of years to reach the surface in the form of lava or pyroclastic material.

Island arcs are on ocean plate / ocean plate boundaries, so I really can't take what you're saying here seriously.

See the mariana islands, the antilles in the Caribbean, the aleutian islands and so on for examples.

Island arcs, by their very nature occur within oceans. However, it is too simplistic to state that they all lie on oceanic/oceanic plate boundreis.

You qoute the example of the Aleutian Islands, however these are the result of the northern edge of the Pacific plate being subducted under the North American plate. The Marianas Islands are far more complex. Here the western edge of the Pacific plate is being subducted under the edge of the Philippine Plate. Whilst the Philippine plate is largely oceanic, i.e. basaltic in nature, the South Honshu Ridge, and the Mariana Ridge are comprised of non-basaltic material, e.g. limestones. This material is lighter and hence overides and subducts the Pacific plate. It is the density of the material, and not its age that is important. The Lesser Antilles arise from the subduction of oceanic crust associated with either N. American plate or the S. American plate - the exact situation is unclear. However, the Caribbean plate is formed from thicker igneous material and again, being more boyant than the oceanic material, rides up over it leading to subduction.

I hope, given my more detailed explanation of my original point you will be able to take me more seriously.