Plan to make Macquarie Island a marine zone

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Plan to make Macquarie Island a marine zone

Recently in Australia, the government is planning to make an area in the Southern Ocean a marine zone.

Declaring this area a marine zone will help protect the millions of penguin and seal populations around Macquarie Island.

Importance of Macquarie Island

  • Macquarie Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is an oceanic island in the Southern Ocean, 1,500 km southeast of Tasmania, Australia.
  • It is actually situated between the continent of Australia and Antarctica.
  • The island is actually an underwater crest of the Macquarie Ridge overlooking the sea.
  • It is uplifted in the ocean where the Indo-Australian tectonic plate meets the Pacific plate.
  • It is a major site of geo-conservation importance, as it is the only place on Earth where rocks from the Earth’s mantle (up to 6 km below sea level) are actively exposed above sea level.
  • These unique exposures include outstanding examples of pillow basalt and other extrusive rocks.

Source – Down to Earth

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