
Location of Thurston Island
'Thurston Island' () is an ice-covered, glacially dissected island, 215 km long, 90 km wide and
15,700 km² in area, lying a short way off the NW end of
Ellsworth Land,
Antarctica. It is the third largest island of
Antarctica, after
Alexander Island and
Berkner Island. The island is separated from the mainland by
Peacock Sound, which is occupied by the western portion of
Abbot Ice Shelf.
The island was discovered from the air by Rear Admiral
Byrd on
February 27,
1940, who named it for
W. Harris Thurston, New York textile manufacturer, designer of the windproof "Byrd Cloth" and sponsor of Antarctic expeditions.
Originally charted as a
peninsula, the feature was not recognised an island until
1960.
References
★ http://aadc-maps.aad.gov.au/aadc/gaz/display_name.cfm?gaz_id=132691