Mawson Peak is an active volcanic

summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used only for a m ...

of the

Big Ben Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster, at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, England, and the name is frequently extended to refer also to the clock and the clock tower. The officia ...

massif In geology, a massif ( or ) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a ...

on Heard Island, an external Australian territory in the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by ...

. With an elevation of , it is the third highest peak in any state or territory of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

, higher than the

Mount Kosciuszko Mount Kosciuszko ( ; Ngarigo: , ), previously spelled Mount Kosciusko, is mainland Australia's tallest mountain, at 2,228 metres (7,310 ft) above sea level. It is located on the Main Range of the Snowy Mountains in Kosciuszko National ...

, and surpassed only by the

Mount McClintock Mount McClintock is the highest mountain () in the Britannia Range in Antarctica, surmounting the south end of Forbes Ridge, east of Mount Olympus. It was discovered by the ''Discovery'' expedition (1901–04) and named for Admiral Sir Leopo ...

and the

Mount Menzies Mount Menzies is the culminating peak (3,355 m; 11,007 ft) on the large massif between Mount Mather and Mount Bayliss, standing on the south side of Fisher Glacier, Antarctica. It was sighted by Flying Officer J. Seaton from an ANARE B ...

claimed in the

Australian Antarctic Territory The Australian Antarctic Territory (AAT) is a part of East Antarctica claimed by Australia as an external territory. It is administered by the Australian Antarctic Division, an agency of the federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, the En ...

. The peak erupted as recently as April 2013 and February 2016.

Discovery and naming

Mawson Peak was named by the 1948

Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions The Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (ANARE ) is the historical name for the Australian Antarctic Program (AAp) administered for Australia by the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD). History Australia has had a long involv ...

Heard Island Expedition after the Australian geologist and explorer

Sir Douglas Mawson Sir Douglas Mawson OBE FRS FAA (5 May 1882 – 14 October 1958) was an Australian geologist, Antarctic explorer, and academic. Along with Roald Amundsen, Robert Falcon Scott, and Sir Ernest Shackleton, he was a key expedition leader durin ...

, the leader of the

British Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition The British Australian (and) New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition (BANZARE) was a research expedition into Antarctica between 1929 and 1931, involving two voyages over consecutive Austral summers. It was a British Commonwealth initiative, dr ...

1929–31, who visited the island in NovemberDecember 1929. On 20 February 1950, whilst aboard HMAS ''Lebuan'', Thomas Gratton Young OAM observed and recorded in the ship's log that Mawson Peak was an active volcano. The 1964–65 expedition to Heard Island was led by Major Warwick Deacock, with the schooner ''Patanela'' skippered by Major Bill Tilman. They succeeded in climbing Mawson Peak for the first time, which is the highest point on this remote island.

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External links

Map of Heard Island and McDonald Islands, including all major topographical features

Antarctic Names

Volcano

Data
Mountains of Australia Volcanoes of Heard Island and McDonald Islands Highest points of countries

Discovery and naming

See also

References

Citations

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External links