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Gardner Pinnacles: Maps and Imagery
Gardner
Pinnacles map:
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Gardner
Pinnacles IKONOS image:
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Gardner Pinnacles: Description and History
Located approximately 1300 km ESE of Midway and 900 km WNW of Kaua'i is Gardner Pinnacles at longitude 168 degrees 05 minutes W and latitude 25 degrees 02 minutes N. Gardner Pinnacles is composed of two volcanic islets. These islets are the remnant emergent portions of a large, 14 million-year-old shield volcano that has been eroded to produce an extensive shelf over 207 sq. km in size. The larger pinnacle is 55 m high and about 180 m in diameter. The smaller pinnacle is located about 100 m NW of the larger pinnacle.
Gardner Pinnacles lie near the NE side of the extensive shelf, which is about 90 km long and from 10 km wide at the south end to 35 km wide at the north end.
The sheer basalt walls of the pinnacles extend down to about 12 m below the water surface. From the base of the walls, the shelf lies in water between 18 meters and 45 meters deep. The shelf is very flat and almost featureless for great distances.
Due to the depth of water surrounding Gardner Pinnacles, very little characterization of the benthic habitats of Gardner Pinnacles was possible.