![]() ![]() Waves and westerly winds from the Southern Ocean have sculpted the island’s shoreline, forming several bays and beaches. The island has provided a unique opportunity for scientists to study the geological processes of oceanic crust formation and plate boundary dynamics. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), it is one of very few places on Earth where rocks from the mantle are exposed above sea level. Macquarie Island is the exposed crest of an undersea mid-ocean ridge-a mountain range that formed where the Indo-Australian and the Pacific tectonic plates diverge and new ocean crust has emerged. ![]() ![]() And the island is far enough south to be suitable habitat for sub-Antarctic species, such as seals and penguins. The remote island has been used by explorers on their way to map uncharted reaches of Antarctica. Located halfway between Australia and Antarctica, Macquarie Island is an important stopping place for people and penguins. ![]()
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