Doigt de Sainte-Anne, Volcanic plug in Gallieni Peninsula, Kerguelen Islands, France
The Doigt de Sainte-Anne is a volcanic plug on Gallieni Peninsula in the Kerguelen Islands that rises approximately 235 meters above Larose Bay. The slender monolith is composed of light-colored trachyte rock and displays a distinctive tilt shaped by geological processes.
The formation received its name in 1908 from explorer Raymond Rallier du Baty, replacing an earlier designation on historical maps. This renaming was part of French efforts to establish official geographic nomenclature for the remote island region.
French scientists maintain research stations near this geological formation, conducting studies on volcanic processes and environmental patterns in the Southern Indian Ocean.
Access requires permission from French authorities and travel by specially equipped vessels designed for Southern Ocean conditions. Visitors should expect extreme weather and limited accessibility windows due to the remote location.
This formation stands alongside the Kerguelen Arch as one of only two major natural landmarks marking the islands. The two structures provide rare visual reference points across an otherwise flat and sparse landscape in the southern Indian Ocean.
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