San Nicolas Island (sometimes shortened as San Nic or SNI) is the most remote of California's Channel Islands. It is part of Ventura County. The 14,562 acre (58.93 km² or 22.753 sq mi) island is currently controlled by the United States Navy and is used as a weapons testing and training facility. The uninhabited island is defined by the United States Census Bureau as Block Group 9, Census Tract 36.04 of Ventura County, California.^[1] Although the island is officially uninhabited as of 2000 U.S. Census, it is estimated that the number of military and civilian personnel on the island numbers at least 200 at any given time. The island has a small airport and several buildings. Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... The eight Channel Islands of California, off the west coast of the United States. ... Ventura County is part of the Greater Los Angeles Area, located on Californias Pacific coast. ... USN redirects here. ... The United States Census Bureau (officially Bureau of the Census as defined in Title ) is a part of the United States Department of Commerce. ... A census tract, census area, or census district is a particular community defined for the purpose of taking a census. ... Ventura County . ... The 22nd United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13. ...

History

San Nicolas was originally the home of the Nicoleño people, who were probably related to the Tongva of the mainland and Santa Catalina Island. It was named for Saint Nicholas by Spanish explorer Sebastián Vizcaíno after he sighted the island on the saint's feast day (December 6) in 1602. The Nicoleños were evacuated in the early 19th century by the padres of the California mission system after a series of conflicts with Russian-led Aleutian fur trappers decimated their population. Within a few years of their removal from the island, the Nicoleño people and their unique language became extinct. The Nicoleño were a Native American tribe living on San Nicolas Island in California. ... Gabrieleno Native American women Tongva may also refer to the Tongva language. ... Santa Catalina Island, location relative to the coast of Southern California Santa Catalina Island, often called Catalina Island, or just Catalina, is a rocky island off the coast of the U.S. state of California. ... For other uses, see Nicholas. ... Sebastián Vizcaíno (1548-1624) was a Spanish soldier, entrepreneur, explorer, and diplomat whose varied roles took him to New Spain, the Philippines, the Baja California peninsula, Alta California, and Japan. ... The calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organising a liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with a saint, and referring to the day as the saints day of that saint. ... December 6 is the 340th day of the year (341st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This page is about the year. ... The Spanish Missions of California (more simply referred to as the California Missions) comprise a series of religious outposts established by Spanish Catholic Dominicans, Jesuits, and Franciscans, to spread the Christian doctrine among the local Native Americans, but with the added benefit of giving Spain a toehold in the frontier... Languages English, Russian, Aleut Religions Christianity, Shamanism Related ethnic groups Inuit, Yupik The Aleuts (self-denomination: , Unangan or Unanga) are the indigenous people of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, United States and Kamchatka Krai, Russia. ...

Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island

The most famous resident of San Nicolas Island was the "Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island", called Juana María; her real name was never known to anyone on the mainland. She was left behind (explanations for this vary) when the rest of the Nicoleños were moved to the mainland. She resided on the island alone for 18 years before she was found by Captain George Nidever and his crew in 1853 and brought back to Santa Barbara. She died within weeks, her system unprepared for the different nutritional and environmental conditions in central California. Her story was the basis for Scott O'Dell's Newbery Medal-winning 1961 novel Island of the Blue Dolphins. Juana María (died October 18, 1853), better known to history as The Lone Woman of San Nicolas (her Indian name is unknown), was a Native American woman of the now-extinct Nicoleño tribe who lived alone on San Nicolas Island from 1835 until her discovery in 1853. ... George Nidever (also spelled Nidiver) (December 20, 1802 – March 24, 1883) was a mountain man, explorer, fur trapper, memoirist and sailor of German descent born in Tennessee. ... Nickname: Location in Santa Barbara County and the state of California Coordinates: , County Government  - Mayor Marty Blum Area  - City 111. ... Scott ODell (May 23, 1898 – October 16, 1989) was an American childrens author who wrote 26 novels for youngsters, along with three adult novels and four nonfiction books. ... The John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children of the American Library Association (ALA) to the author of the outstanding American book for children. ... Island of the Blue Dolphins is a novel for children, written by Scott ODell. ...

Rocket experiments

Between 1957 and 1973, and in 2004, U.S. military research rockets were launched from San Nicolas Island. The launchpad was situated at 33°15′N, 119°30′W. It remains part of the Pacific Missile Range. Year 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar). ... For the song by James Blunt, see 1973 (song). ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about vehicles powered by rocket engines. ... The Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) at Barking Sands, Kauai, is the worlds largest instrumented, multi-dimensional testing and training range. ...

Geology

Composed primarily of Eocene sandstone and shale,^[2] much of the island also has marine terrace deposits of Pleistocene age, indicating that it was probably completely submerged at that time.^[3] The entire western part of the island is covered with reddish-brown eolian dune deposits laid down during the early Holocene. In some places these deposits are more than 10 meters deep.^[4] Small quantities of volcanic rocks (primarily andesite) exist on the southeast end of the island.^[5] hfajhfiudshfas == == == --24. ... Red sandstone interior of Lower Antelope Canyon, Arizona, worn smooth due to erosion by flash flooding over millions of years Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-size mineral or rock grains. ... Shale Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock whose original constituents were clays or muds. ... The formation of a wave cut platform A wave cut platform refers to the narrow flat area often seen at the base of a sea cliff caused by the action of the waves. ... The Pleistocene epoch (IPA: ) on the geologic timescale is the period from 1,808,000 to 11,550 years BP. The Pleistocene epoch had been intended to cover the worlds recent period of repeated glaciations. ... Eolian (or aeolian) processes pertain to the activity of the winds. ... The Holocene epoch is a geological period that extends from the present day back to about 10,000 radiocarbon years, approximately 11,430 ± 130 calendar years BP (between 9560 and 9300 BC). ... This article is about volcanoes in geology. ... A sample of andesite (dark groundmass) with amygdaloidal vesicules filled with zeolite. ...

Stone available to natives for tool making on San Nicolas Island was largely limited to metavolcanic (including porphyritic metavolcanic) and metasedimentary (mainly quartzite) rock.^[6] The metavolcanics are found in the form of cobbles within conglomerates and cobble-bearing mudstones.^[7] This material is dense and not easily workable.^[8] Metavolcanic rock is a type of metamorphic rock. ... Porphyry is a very hard igneous rock consisting of large-grained crystals, such as feldspar or quartz, dispersed in a fine-grained feldspathic matrix or groundmass. ... In geology, metasediment is sediment or sedimentary rock that shows evidence of having been subjected to metamorphism. ... Quartzite Quartzite (from German Quarzit[1]) is a hard, metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. ... Metavolcanic rock is a type of metamorphic rock. ... A conglomerate with iron oxide cementing material Conglomerate, Submarine Landslide located at Point Reyes, Marin County California. ... Mudstone formation on Lyme Regis East Beach. ...

Biota

There is little ecological diversity on San Nicolas Island. The island was heavily grazed by sheep until they were removed in 1943. Overgrazing and erosion have removed much of the topsoil from the island. Despite the degradation, three endemic plants are found on the island and nowhere else: Astragalus traskiae, Eriogonum grande subspecies tamorum, and Lomatium insulare. // In the dictionary and agriculture, overgrazing is when plants are exposed to grazing for too long, or without sufficient recovery periods. ... For morphological image processing operations, see Erosion (morphology). ... Topsoil is the uppermost layer of soil, usually the top six to eight inches. ... In biology and ecology endemic means exclusively native to a place or biota, in contrast to cosmopolitan or introduced. ... Species See text Lomatium is a genus of 70 to 80 perennial herbs native to western North America. ...

The dominant plant community on the island is coastal bluff scrubland, with giant coreopsis, Coreopsis gigantea and coyote brush, Baccharis pilularis the most visible components. The few trees present today, including California fan palms, Washingtonia filifera, were introduced in modern times. However, early written accounts and the remains of ancient plants in the form of calcareous root casts indicate that, prior to 1860, brush covered a portion of the island.^[9] Scrubland is plant community characterized by scrub vegetation. ... Binomial name Coreopsis gigantea (Kellog) Hall Giant Coreopsis Coreopsis gigantea (Kellog) Hall is a perennial native to California. ... Binomial name Baccharis pilularis DC. Baccharis pilularis, called Coyote Brush (or Bush), Chaparral Broom, and Bush Baccharis, is a shrub in the Asteraceae that grows in California, Oregon, and Baja California. ... Binomial name Washingtonia filifera (Lindl. ... Calcareous formed from or containing a high proportion of Calcium carbonate. ...

There are only three species of endemic land vertebrates on the island; the island night lizard, Xantusia riversiana, deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus exterus, and island fox, Urocyon littoralis dickeyi. Two other reptiles, the common side-blotched lizard, Uta stansburiana, and the southern alligator lizard Elgaria multicarinatus, were at one time thought to be endemic, but an analysis of mitochondrial DNA indicates that both species were most likely introduced in recent times.^[10] Typical classes Petromyzontidae (lampreys) Placodermi - extinct Chondrichthyes (cartilaginous fish) Acanthodii - extinct Actinopterygii (ray-finned fish) Actinistia (coelacanths) Dipnoi (lungfish) Amphibia (amphibians) Reptilia (reptiles) Aves (birds) Mammalia (mammals) Vertebrata is a subphylum of chordates, specifically, those with backbones or spinal columns. ... Binomial name Xantusia riversiana The Island Night Lizard (Xantusia riversiana) is a night lizard native to three of the Channel Islands of California: San Nicolas Island, Santa Barbara Island and San Clemente Island. ... ... Binomial name Urocyon littoralis (Baird, 1857) The Island Fox (Urocyon littoralis) is a small fox that is native to six of the eight Channel Islands of California. ... Binomial name Uta stansburiana Baird and Girard, 1852 Subspecies (Salsipuedes Side-blotched Lizard) (Western Side-blotched Lizard) (Nevada Side-blotched Lizard) (Santa Catalina side-blotched lizard) (Northern Side-blotched Lizard) (San Benito Side-blotched Lizard) (Taylors Side-blotched Lizard - doubtful) (Plateau Side-blotched Lizard) Synonyms Uta antiqua, Uta elegans... Binomial name Elgaria multicarinata (Blainville, 1835) The Southern Alligator Lizard (Elgaria multicarinata) is a reptile native to the Pacific coast of North America. ... Mitochondrial DNA (some captions in German) Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is the DNA located in organelles called mitochondria. ...

Large numbers of birds can be found on San Nicolas Island. Two species are of particular ecological concern: the western gull, Larus occidentalis, and Brandt's cormorant, Phalacrocorax penicillatus, both of which are threatened by feral cats and island foxes. The Navy is attempting to remove the cats in order to protect the birds' nesting areas.^[11] Binomial name Larus occidentalis (Audubon, 1839) The Western Gull, Larus occidentalis, is a large white-headed gull that lives on the western coast of North America. ... Binomial name Phalacrocorax penicillatus (Brandt, 1837) The Brandts Cormorant (Phalacrocorax penicillatus ) is a strictly marine bird of the cormorant family of seabirds that inhabits the Pacific coast of North America. ...

References in popular culture

San Nicolas appears as the titular isle in Scott O'Dell's Island of the Blue Dolphins, as well as that novel's sequel, Zia. It is also the setting for the computer video game Rise of the Triad. Scott ODell (May 23, 1898 – October 16, 1989) was an American childrens author who wrote 26 novels for youngsters, along with three adult novels and four nonfiction books. ... Island of the Blue Dolphins is a novel for children, written by Scott ODell. ... Zia (novel). ... Rise of the Triad: Dark War (acronym is ROTT) is a first-person shooter video game that was first released on February 17, 1995 and developed by Apogee Software (now known as 3D Realms). ...

References

External links

• Rocket launches at San Nicolas Island
• GlobalSecurity.org: San Nicolas Island
• Naval Auxiliary Air Station, San Nicolas Island
• Photo of Juana María's Whalebone Hut