Mount Sidley
| Mount Sidley | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view of the Mt. Sidley caldera from the southwest | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 4,285 m (14,058 ft)[1] |
| Prominence | 2,517 m (8,258 ft)[2] |
| Listing | Volcanic Seven Summits, Ultra |
| Geography | |
  Mount Sidley | |
| Parent range | Executive Committee Range |
| Geology | |
| Mountain type | Shield volcano (extinct) |
Mount Sidley is the highest volcano in Antarctica, a member of the Volcanic Seven Summits. It is a massive, mainly snow-covered shield volcano which is the highest and most imposing of the five extinct volcanic mountains that comprise the Executive Committee Range of Marie Byrd Land. The feature is marked by a spectacular 5 km wide caldera[3] on the southern side and stands NE of Mount Waesche in the southern part of the range.
The mountain was discovered by Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd on an airplane flight, November 18, 1934, and named by him for Mabelle E. Sidley, the daughter of William Horlick who was a contributor to the 1933–35 Byrd Antarctic Expedition. Despite its lofty status, the volcano languishes in obscurity due to its extremely remote location. It is little known even in the mountaineering world compared to the far more famous Mount Erebus, the second highest Antarctic volcano which is located near the U.S. and New Zealand bases on Ross Island. The first recorded ascent of Mount Sidley was by New Zealander Bill Atkinson on January 11, 1990, whilst working in support of a USAP scientific field party.
See also
References
- LeMasurier, W. E. (1990). Volcanoes of the Antarctic Plate and Southern Oceans. American Geophysical Union. pp. 203–207. ISBN 0-87590-172-7.
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"Skiing the Pacific Ring of Fire and Beyond". Amar Andalkar's Ski Mountaineering and Climbing Site. 2007 [1997]. Retrieved 14 January 2005.
- ^ USGS GNIS Mount Sidley. The topo map lists the elevation as 4,181 m (13,717 ft).
- ^ Antarctica on peaklist.org
- ^ Kurt S. Panter, Philip R. Kyle and John L. Smellie (1997). Petrogenesis of a Phonolite-Trachyte Succession at Mount Sidley, Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica, Journal of Petrology 38(9), 1225-1253.