Gardner Pinnacles
Encyclopedia
Rock formations in the United States
The following is a partial list of rock formations in the United States, by state:-Arizona:*Canyon de Chelly National Monument**Spider Rock*Chiricahua National Monument**Duck on a Rock**Organ Pipe**Mushroom Rock**Sea Captain*Monument Valley...
outcrops surrounded by a reef and located in the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
at 25°01′N 167°59′W, 511 nmi (946 km; 588 mi) northwest of Honolulu
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
and 108 mi (93.8 nmi; 173.8 km) French Frigate Shoals
French Frigate Shoals
The French Frigate Shoals is the largest atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Its name commemorates French explorer Jean-François de La Pérouse, who nearly lost two frigates when attempting to navigate the shoals...
. The total area of the two small islets—remnants of an ancient volcano—is 5.939 acres (24,034.3 m²). Its highest peak has a commanding height of 170 feet (52 m). The surrounding reef has an area in excess of 600000 acre (2,428.1 km²; 937.5 sq mi).
Gardner Pinnacles was first discovered on June 2, 1820 by the American whaler
Whaler
A whaler is a specialized ship, designed for whaling, the catching and/or processing of whales. The former included the whale catcher, a steam or diesel-driven vessel with a harpoon gun mounted at its bows. The latter included such vessels as the sail or steam-driven whaleship of the 16th to early...
Maro commanded by Captain Joseph Allen.
The Gardner Pinnacles are home to some species of fish not found anywhere else in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, and have more species of coral than two rocky neighbors to the south, Necker Island and Nihoa
Nihoa
Nihoa , also known as Bird Island or Moku Manu, is the largest and tallest of ten islands and atolls in the uninhabited Northwestern Hawaiian Islands . The island is located at the southern end of the NWHI chain, southeast of Necker Island...
. Numerous insects live on the island, and a researcher claims to have found two new species of spiders here.
Since this is part of a wildlife refuge, Gardner Pinnacles is off limits to even the military, who made an unauthorized entrance once to blow off the tip of the outcrop to create an emergency helicopter landing spot. In the Hawaiian Archipelago, adjacent islands/reefs are French Frigate Shoals
French Frigate Shoals
The French Frigate Shoals is the largest atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Its name commemorates French explorer Jean-François de La Pérouse, who nearly lost two frigates when attempting to navigate the shoals...
to the southeast, and Maro Reef
Maro Reef
Maro Reef is a largely submerged coral atoll located in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. It was discovered in 1820 by Captain Joseph Allen of the ship Maro, after whose ship the reef was named. With a total area of , it is the largest coral reef in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands...
to the northwest.
External links
- Gardner Pinnacles Islands of the Hawaiian Chain
- Gardner Pinnacles Page ~ Bishop Museum
- Quick Facts on the Gardner Pinnacles from the PBS Ocean Adventures site
- Gardner Pinnacles: Block 1012, Census Tract 114.98, Honolulu County, Hawaii United States Census Bureau
- Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument Information Management System