Mount Tarn is a small
mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...
located on the southernmost part of the
Strait of Magellan
The Strait of Magellan (), also called the Straits of Magellan, is a navigable sea route in southern Chile separating mainland South America to the north and the Tierra del Fuego archipelago to the south. Considered the most important natura ...
, in
Brunswick Peninsula, about 70 km south of
Punta Arenas
Punta Arenas (, historically known as Sandy Point in English) is the capital List of cities in Chile, city of Chile's southernmost Regions of Chile, region, Magallanes Region, Magallanes and Antarctica Chilena. Although officially renamed as ...
,
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
. It is in the southern extreme of continental Chile very close to
Cape Froward, surrounded by historic places such as
Fort Bulnes and
Puerto del Hambre (Port Famine).
From the summit it is possible to see the Strait of Magellan,
Dawson and
Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego (, ; Spanish for "Land of Fire", rarely also Fireland in English) is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South America, South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan.
The archipelago consists of the main is ...
islands, and many other smaller ones; the
Darwin Mountain Range,
Mount Sarmiento, and most of the Brunswick Peninsula.
Toponymy
According to historian
Mateo Martinic Beros in his book ''Cartografía Magallánica 1523-1945'', the mount was named after the British
surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a medical doctor who performs surgery. Even though there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon is a licensed physician and received the same medical training as physicians before spec ...
, John Tarn, who first ascended the mountain in February 1827 while traveling with
Robert FitzRoy
Vice-Admiral Robert FitzRoy (5 July 1805 – 30 April 1865) was an English officer of the Royal Navy, politician and scientist who served as the second governor of New Zealand between 1843 and 1845. He achieved lasting fame as the captain of ...
on
HMS ''Adventure'' and later ascended it while traveling with
Phillip Parker King
Phillip Parker King (13 December 1791 – 26 February 1856) was an early explorer of the Australian and Patagonian coasts.
Early life and education
King was born on Norfolk Island, to Philip Gidley King and Anna Josepha King ''née'' Coo ...
in
HMS ''Beagle''), during their surveying voyage from 1826 to 1830.
Tarn participated in a
hydrographic survey
Hydrographic survey is the science of measurement and description of features which affect maritime navigation, marine construction, dredging, offshore wind farms, offshore oil exploration and drilling and related activities. Surveys may als ...
conducted in the area, through the collection and classification of flora and fauna species.
Darwin's ascent
On 6 February 1834 a group from the
second ''Beagle'' survey expedition, including
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English Natural history#Before 1900, naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all speci ...
, ascended Mount Tarn by forcing their way up through dense woodland to the bare ridge which took them to the summit. He recounted the story in his
''Journal and Remarks''.
In his ascent the young naturalist found the first
ammonites
Ammonoids are extinct, (typically) coiled-shelled cephalopods comprising the subclass Ammonoidea. They are more closely related to living octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish (which comprise the clade Coleoidea) than they are to nautiluses (family N ...
ever known in South America.
See also
*
Magallanes Province
*
Magallanes Region
The Magallanes Region (), officially the Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region () or Magallanes and the Chilean Antarctica Region in English, is one of Chile's 16 first order administrative divisions. It is the southernmost, largest, and sec ...
*
Parrillar lagoon
*
San Juan river
*
San Isidro lighthouse
*
Cape Froward.
References
Instituto Geográfico MilitarChart, Chile: Rinconada Bulnes, scale 1:100000, Section L, 1987.
*
*
*
* Biogeografía del monte Tarn, Magallanes, Chile. Trabajo final de carrera, ETSIAM, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia. Escuela técnica superior de ingenieros agrónomos. Ingeniería de Montes, especialidad Ingeniería del Medio Natural. Universidad de Magallanes. Facultad de Ciencias. Sergio Navarro Cano y Javier González. 2006
Mateo Martinic Beroš, 1999, Punta Arenas, Chile. {{ISBN, 956-7189-07-2.
External links
Mount Tarn Description & Route in AndesHandbook(in Spanish)
(in Spanish)
Photo gallery
Image:Mount_Tarn_Spring.jpg
Image:Mount_Tarn_Summit.jpg
Image:Mount_Tarn_Summit_View.jpg
Tarn
Brunswick Peninsula