Hopewell Islands
- Terra MODIS
- 08 July 2003
- 03:15 UTC
The eastern coast of Hudson Bay is marked by an extensive semi-circular embayment — without name — that measures some 475 km across, running from Pointe Louis XIV in the south to Cape Dufferin in the north abd indenting the coast by up to 180 km. Much of the coastline in this region is lined by several groups of narrow, elongate islands that form a coastal barrier, behind which lies a relatively sheltered channel. These islands include the Hopewell, Nastapoka Islands and Long Islands.
The northernmost of these groups are the Hopewell Islands. They extend southwards along the coast for 85 km from Cape Dufferin to Pointe Normand (north from the settlement of Qairtuinaq) and are separated from the Quebec mainland by the narrow Hopewell Sound on their eastern sides. Like all islands within Hudson Bay, James Bay and Ungava Bay, the Hopewell Islands form part of the territory of Nunavut.
The largest islands of the group are found in the south, including Leonard Island (10 km in length), Drayton Island (8.5 km), Frazier Island (the longest, at 14.6 km in length) and Harrison Island (8.4 km). The islands are generally characterised by having steep eastern coasts that rise in sharp slopes or cliffs to flat interiors that slope gradually to the west — a geological landform known as a cuesta. Elevations on the islands are in the range of 30-60 m above sea level.
image: MODIS rapid response project at nasa/goddard space flight center
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