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Ross Island is a volcanic island in the Ross Sea by Antarctica, on the coast of Victoria Land. Sir James Clark Ross discovered it in 1841, and the island was later named in honor of him by Robert F. Scott. The volcanoes Terror (3230 m) and Erebus (4023 m) are situated on the island. They were named by Ross after his ships HMS Erebus and HMS Terror.
Ross Island was the base for many of the early expeditions to Antarctica. It was and still is the southernmost island reachable by sea. Huts built by Scott's and Shackleton's expeditions are still standing on the island, preserved as historical sites.
Ross Island lies within the boundaries of Ross Dependency, which is claimed by New Zealand (unrecognized by the USA).
Today Ross Island is home to New Zealand's Scott Base, Greenpeace's World Park Base, and the largest Antarctic settlement, the U.S. Antarctic Program's McMurdo Station.
Dinosaurs
In December of 2003, paleontologists from St. Mary's College in California discovered the bones of a theropod dinosaur they nicknamed "Naze". The fast, carnivorous dinosaur, related to the Tyrannosaurus and Velociraptor, was about 1.8 m (6 ft) tall, and weighed 300 lb (135 kg), which made it closer in size to the 'raptors of Jurassic Park fame than the real, coyote-sized Velociraptor.
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