What is special about Mount Erebus?
Erebus is the largest active volcano and the second tallest volcano on Antarctica, with a summit elevation of 3,795 meters (12,451 feet). It is the highest point on Ross Island, home to both the U.S.-operated McMurdo Station and New Zealand’s main research station, Scott Base.
What is the main feature of Mount Erebus?
Erebus, November 1963-January 1978. From Kyle and McIntosh, 1978. “Activity within the lava lake consists of three main features: 1) lava upwelling in nearly circular areas; 2) small bubble-like degassing eruptions; and 3) downwelling of the consolidated crust along planar troughs or ‘subduction zones.
Where did Mount Erebus get its name?
Discovered in 1841 by polar explorer Sir James Clark Ross, it was easy to identify Mt. Erebus as a volcano as it was erupting at the time. (Ross Island, which Mt. Erebus is on, is named after him as is the Ross Ice Shelf.)
Who named Mt Erebus?
Sir James Clark Ross
Mount Erebus was discovered on 27 January 1841 (and observed to be in eruption), by polar explorer Sir James Clark Ross on his Antarctic expedition, who named it and its companion, Mount Terror, after his ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror (which were later used by Sir John Franklin on his disastrous Arctic expedition).
Who discovered the Mount Erebus?
Caption James Ross
It was discovered by explorer Caption James Ross in 1841 and climbed 1908 by members of Ernest Shackleton’s expedition. Since then it was visited only very rarely in the following 100 years.
Is there a lava lake in Antarctica?
An ocean near the South Pole may not be the obvious place to look for lava! But in the icy South Sandwich Islands in the Southern Ocean, a lake of fiery hot lava has been discovered inside a volcano! That means the lava is ten times hotter than boiling water. …
Where can you see Mount Erebus in Antarctica?
Scientists are still observing the volcano through the Mount Erebus Volcano Observatory and field campaigns to look for extreme life forms. The largest Antarctic settlement—McMurdo Station, operated by the United States—stands within sight of the volcano (about 40 kilometers or 25 miles away).
What kind of tent is on Mount Erebus?
The scene: a tent on Mount Erebus, an active volcano on Ross Island, Antarctica. The tent is a four-cornered tepee modeled after those that Captain Robert Falcon Scott brought with him on his Antarctic expeditions more than a century ago.
How long has Mt Erebus volcano been active?
Mount Erebus is noted for its active anorthoclase-feldspar phonolite lava lake, which has been in continuous activity since at least 1972, but probably much longer. Mt Erebus volcano’s lava lake is connected to a long-lived, open and stable magma plumbing system, which might have been in place for the past 17,000 years.
Who was the first person to climb Mount Erebus?
Explorer James Clark Ross and his crew first sailed past the island in 1841 and caught a glimpse of Mount Erebus erupting. Members of Ernest Shackleton’s expedition climbed to the summit in 1908. Scientists are still observing the volcano through the Mount Erebus Volcano Observatory and field campaigns to look for extreme life forms.