Editing Rockall (section)

==Geography==
[[File:N-Atlantic-topo.png|thumb|upright=1.6|The [[Rockall Trough]] separating Ireland and Great Britain from the [[Rockall Plateau]] on which Rockall is situated]]

Rockall is one of the few pinnacles of the surrounding [[Helen's Reef]]; it is located {{convert|301.3|km|nmi|abbr=off}} west of the uninhabited islet of [[Soay, St Kilda|Soay]], [[St Kilda, Scotland|St Kilda]], Scotland,<ref name="GoogleEarthStKilda"/> and {{convert|423.2|km|smi nmi|abbr=off}} northwest of [[Tory Island]], [[County Donegal]], Ireland.<ref name="GoogleEarthTory"/> Its location was precisely determined by Nick Hancock during his 2014 expedition.<ref name="ordan"/> The surrounding elevated seabed is called the [[Rockall Bank]], lying directly south from an area known as the Rockall Plateau. It is separated from the [[Outer Hebrides]] by the [[Rockall Bank and Trough|Rockall Trough]], itself located within the [[Rockall Basin]] (also known as the "Hatton Rockall Basin").{{cn|date=October 2022}}

In 1956 the British scientist [[James Fisher (naturalist)|James Fisher]] referred to the island as "the most isolated small rock in the oceans of the world".<ref name="Fisher, Rockall, 1956"/> The neighbouring [[Hasselwood Rock]] and several other pinnacles of the surrounding [[Helen's Reef]] are smaller, at half the size of Rockall or less, and equally remote, but those formations are legally not islands or points on land, as they are often submerged completely, only revealed momentarily above certain types of [[ocean surface wave]]s.

Rockall is about {{convert|25|m|ft|-1}} wide and {{convert|31|m|ft|abbr=on}} long at its base<ref name="landf"/> and rises sheer to a height of {{convert|17.15|m|ftin|abbr=on}}.<ref name="The Rockall Club website's Facts page. Retrieved 12 October 2014." /><ref name="bbc.co.uk. 8 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014." /><ref name="Stornoway Gazette. 8 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014." /> It is often washed over by large storm waves, particularly in winter. There is a small ledge of {{convert|3.5|by|1.3|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, known as Hall's Ledge, {{convert|4|m|ft|0|spell=in}} from the summit on the rock's western face.<ref name="roccom"/> It is the only named geographical location on the rock.

[[File:Rockall wave March 1943.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3| Large waves breaking over the islet on 11 March 1943, photographed by [[RAF Coastal Command]]]]
The nearest point on land from Rockall is {{convert|301.3|km|nmi}}, east at the uninhabited Scottish island of [[Soay, St Kilda|Soay]] in the [[St Kilda, Scotland|St Kilda]] archipelago. The nearest inhabited area lies {{convert|303.2|km|nmi}} east at [[Hirta]]<ref name="googea"/>{{dubious|date=February 2024}}{{Original research inline|date=February 2019}}, the largest island in the St. Kilda group, which is populated intermittently at a single military base.<ref name="mac77" /><ref name="kilda" /> The nearest permanently inhabited settlement is {{convert|366.8|km|nmi|abbr=on}} west of the headland of [[Aird an Rùnair]],<ref name="goog3" /> near the [[crofting township]] of Hogha Gearraidh on the island of [[North Uist]] at {{gbmappingsmall|NF705711}} {{nowrap|({{Coord|57|36|33|N|7|31|7|W|display=inline|name=Hogha Gearraidh / Hougharry}})}}. North Uist is part of ''[[Outer Hebrides|Na h-Eileanan Siar]]'' [[council areas of Scotland|council area of Scotland]].

The exact position of Rockall and the size and shape of the Rockall Bank were first charted in 1831 by Captain [[Alexander Thomas Emeric Vidal|A. T. E. Vidal]], a [[Royal Navy]] surveyor. The first scientific expedition to Rockall was led by Miller Christy in 1896 when the [[Royal Irish Academy]] sponsored a study of the flora and fauna.<ref name="ria33"/> They chartered the ''Granuaile''.<ref name="Fisher, Rockall, 1956" /><ref name="Hamilton, Granuaile, 1999"/>

A detailed underwater mapping of the area around Rockall undertaken in 2011–2012 by [[Marine Scotland]] showed that Rockall itself is a minor pinnacle, whilst Helen's Reef extends in a sweeping arc of fissures and ridges to the north-west of the islet. Between the islet and Helen's Reef is a deeper trench much used by squid fishermen.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://marine.gov.scot/information/rockall-bathymetry-2011-and-2012 |title=Marine Scotland Information: Rockall Bathymetry 2011 and 2012|publisher=Marine Scotland|access-date=2018-04-28}}</ref>

Rockall is located in the pathway of the warming and moderating [[Gulf Stream]]. Although the rock has no weather station, the isolated position makes for an extreme [[maritime climate]] without heat or cold extremes.