Bigge Island
- ISS002-391-3
- 10 July 2001
- 06:25 UTC
Bigge Island, located off the headlands that lie between York Sound and Montague Sound (of which Bigge Island forms the western limit), is the largest of the islands that comprise the Bonaparte Archipelago with an area of 178 km², and is the second largest island along the coast of the Kimberley after Augustus Island. It is separated from the mainland by the Scott Strait.
The island is of an irregular shape, but roughly rectangular, measuring 22 km north to south and 11 km across, with the north coast cut deeply by the large Boomerang Bay. It is a rugged formation composed of ancient and highly weathered rocks of whitish to reddish quartz sandstones with patches of darker-coloured dolerites. Much of this is bare rock, with vegetation being confined to valleys, gullies and channels. The interior is crossed by a network of deep grooves, fissures and joints — many of which are visible in this image — that can run for considerable distances across the island. The island rises to height of 143 m at Savage Hill on the south coast opposite the Scott Strait.
image: earth sciences and image analysis laboratory, nasa johnson space center
