Preliminary investigations on the wreck of the SS Solglimt, Marion Island

The sub-Antarctic Prince Edward Islands, which lie approximately 2 180km south-east of Cape Town in the Southern India Ocean are made up of two island territories now known as Marion Island and Prince Edward Island. Marion Island is of volcanic origin with a terrain of hills, marshes and lakes. Vegetation is limited to mainly mosses, fern and lichen. Due to strong westerly winds and abundant rain and snow, there are no trees and the ground is boggy. Marion Island spans 19km in length and is 12km wide (de Villiers et al. 2011).