Rockall Rockall Rockall () is a British uninhabited granite islet located within the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the United Kingdom, situated in the North Atlantic Ocean. Its approximate distances from the closest large islands are: west of Scotland; northwest of Ireland; and 700 km (440 miles) south of Iceland. The nearest permanently inhabited place is North Uist, an island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, 370 km (230 miles) to the east. The United Kingdom claimed Rockall in 1955 and incorporated it as a part of Scotland in 1972. Ireland does not recognise this claim, although it has never sought
Nankai Trough beneath the overriding plate (Obana et al., 2006). Recent large scale earthquakes resulting from subduction along the Nankai Trough have occurred in areas of large scale increases in the dip angle of the subducting plate (Hori et al., 2004). The trough is potentially a major source of hydrocarbon fuel, in the form of methane clathrate. However, there is no commercial exploitation. At depth in the ocean bottoms, in some cases water can form an ice-like solid structure that has methane trapped in its crystalline lattice, forming gas hydrates. The source of water for the formation of gas hydrates frequently comes