Barents Island

an island in the eastern part of the Spitsbergen Archipelago in Norway. The island was formed by Mesozoic limestone and shale lying horizontally over folded and heavily metamorphosed rocks of the Paleozoic era. In the western part the sedimentary cover is broken through with basalt. The island’s elevation rises to 610 m. The central part is covered by a glacial cap from which the Duckwitz, Freeman and other glaciers flow down the valleys. The vegetation is arctic tundra. The island was named in honor of the Dutch navigator W. Barents.