Sewing-Machine Needles

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Sewing-Machine Needles (Antarctica)

Sewing-Machine Needles is a group of three tall rock spires near Deception Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. The tallest needle rises about 45 meters above the water, and they sit just southeast of Rancho Point. The name came from whalers who saw a large natural arch there called Sewing-Machine Rock. After an earthquake in 1924 collapsed the arch, the name Sewing-Machine Needles became the common term. The rocks are also known as Rocas Ministro Ezcurra, a name given by Sir Douglas Mawson during the Australasian Antarctic Expedition (1912–14). Geologically, they are remnants of a tuff cone and are part of the Baily Head Formation. The area is uninhabited and lies under the Antarctic Treaty System.