Amphitrite Group
- ISS004-E-7152
- 05 February 2002
- 08:06 UTC
The Amphitrite Group is the most northeasterly group of islands and reefs within the Paracel Islands group, being located 64 km northeast from the Crescent Group and 37 km northwest from Lincoln Island (Lincoln Island is sometimes treated as part of the Amphitrite Group). The Amphitrite Group has two main sections: the northern section (imaged above) and a southern component; they are separated from one another by 5 km of open water.
The northern section has two components that form a 22 km long arc, orientated approximately east to west. The western reef, around 10 km in length, has the most well-defined structure with its outer reefs enclosing a shallow lagoon environment. Its western extremity contains the visually conspicuous sand cay known as West Sand Island. Towards the eastern end of the reef is the smaller Tree Island. Across the 1 km wide Zappe Pass, the eastern reef is less well defined than its western counterpart, consisting of a narrow and elongate reef with a string of vegetated islets and sand cays along its inner face. Islands here include North Island, Middle Island, South Island, and South Sand Island.
5 km southwards from the southern tip of the eastern reef lies the 2 km² Woody Island — the largest island of the Amphitrite Group. It lies amongst the breaking reefs that sit at the northern end of a larger, and deeper, submarine feature that extends to the southeast and south. Upon the same reef as Woody Islet is the smaller Rocky Island.
image: earth sciences and image analysis laboratory, nasa johnson space center
