Malden
- ISS006-E-38455
- 14 March 2003
- 19:57 UTC
Malden is located in the southern group of the Line Islands, 675 km southeast from Kiritimati (see panoramic image); its closest neighbour in the region is the island of Starbuck, located 204 km to the southwest. Shaped like a blunted triangle, Malden is the second largest member of the Line Islands.
The 39.3 km² uninhabited island is low and flat measuring roughly 8 km from east to west and 6 km from north to south. At the centre is an extensive, shallow lagoon covering 13 km², which contains numerous small islets and ridges composed of coral rubble. The lagoon is muddy-bottomed and its waters are hypersaline — there is no connection to the open ocean, instead water exchange takes place through subterranean fissures.
Surrounding Malden is a fringing reef of 100 m in width, extending to 300-400 m at its northwestern and southeastern points. The island rises steeply from the shore in a series of sand and rubble ridges, particularly on the northern coasts, where the island is exposed to northern Pacific swells and storms. From this crest (reaching around 8 m above sea level) the land descends into the interior which is sparsely vegetated with scrub, low herbs and grasses.
Beneath the lagoon waters of Malden are estimated to be 25 to 30 million tonnes of unconsolidated, particulate gypsum. Although not viable at present, the Kiribati government from time to time has undertaken feasibility studies in to the development of dredging operations at Malden for the extraction of its gypsum deposits.
As with the other uninhabited islands of the southern group, Malden is protected as a Wildlife Sanctuary and Closed Area helping to provide limited protection to the Line Islands largest breeding populations of Gray-backed Terns (Sterna lunata) and Lesser Frigatebirds (Fregata ariel). Nine other species are also known to breed on the island, including large numbers of Sooty Tern (Sterna fuscata).
In 1957 Malden, together with Kiritimati, was used as a site for the development of nuclear weapons. As part of the UK's Operation Grapple, three devices were detonated over the ocean near Malden.
Synonyms: Independence Island
image: earth sciences and image analysis laboratory, nasa johnson space center.
