Rocas Alijos
Rocas Alijos, or Escollos Alijos (Template:Langx) are a series of tiny, steep, uninhabited, and barren volcanic islets or above-water (as well as below-water) rocks in the Pacific Ocean at Template:Coord. They are part of Comondú municipality of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur, and situated about Template:Convert west of the mainland. The total surface area is Template:Convert.[1]
The group consists of three principal rocks and numerous smaller ones. South Rock, the largest of the group, is Template:Convert high, with a diameter of only Template:Convert (position Template:Coord). Middle Rock is Template:Convert high and about Template:Convert in diameter. North Rock, Template:Convert north of South Rock, is Template:Convert high, with a diameter of Template:Convert. The rocks in between those are either submerged or so low that they are barely visible among the heavily breaking waves.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
The rocks have been known since the early Spanish history of Mexico; they can be found on a map from 1598Script error: No such module "Unsubst".. Others have described their official discovery as coming in 1605.[2] The first description is from 1704, by pirate John Clipperton. The first exact description was made by a Spanish sailor in 1791. South Rock was climbed for the first time in 1990 by an expedition (October 31 through November 7, 1990) under the leadership of Robert Schmieder, who edited a monograph about the rocks.[3]
The group is located at the transition zone between two major biologic provinces, at a latitude where the Pacific Current turns westward to form the North Pacific trans-oceanic current.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". The rocks are nesting sites of many seabirds.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
The two other Mexican island groups in the Pacific Ocean that are not on the continental shelf are Guadalupe Island and Revillagigedo Islands.
Fauna
The breeding marine avifauna of Alijos Rocks currently consists of Leach's storm-petrel (a presumed breeder, probably a few pairs), red-billed tropicbird (14 birds), masked booby (100), and sooty tern (250). The magnificent frigatebird is a regular winter visitor but probably does not breed. The Laysan albatross is currently an annual visitor to Alijos Rocks during its winter breeding season, and may start to nest there in the near future.
References
Script error: No such module "Portal". Template:Reflist
External links
- Radio enthusiast's description
- more detailed description in German
- sailing directions
- Rocas Alijos: Scientific Results from the Cordell Expeditions
- The Marine Birds of Alijos Rocks, Mexico
- Cordell Expeditions Homepage
- Rocas Alijos part of Comondú municipality
- Video: Tuna fishing beginning at Alijos Rocks, October 2005
Literature
- Robert W. Schmieder, Ed.: Rocas Alijos: Scientific Results from the Cordell Expeditions, Dordrecht; Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1996, Template:ISBN (Series: Monographiae biologicae, v. 75)