Mount Erebus
Mount Erebus (/ˈɛrɪbəs/) is the second-highest volcano in Antarctica (after Mount Sidley), the highest active volcano in Antarctica, and the southernmost active volcano on Earth. It is the sixth-highest ultra mountain on an island, and the second-highest in Antarctica. It has a summit elevation of 3,794 metres (12,448 ft). It is located in the Ross Dependency on Ross Island, which is also home to three inactive volcanoes: Mount Terror, Mount Bird, and Mount Terra Nova. The mountain was named by Captain James Clark Ross in 1841 for his ship, the Erebus.
| Mount Erebus | |
|---|---|
Mount Erebus | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 3,794 m (12,448 ft) |
| Prominence | 3,794 m (12,448 ft) Ranked 34th |
| Isolation | 121 km (75 mi) |
| Listing | Ultra |
| Coordinates | 77°31′47″S 167°09′12″E |
| Geography | |
Mount Erebus Mount Erebus in Antarctica | |
| Location | Ross Island, Antarctica (claimed by New Zealand as part of the Ross Dependency) |
| Topo map | Ross Island |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | 1.3 million years |
| Mountain type | Stratovolcano (composite cone) |
| Volcanic belt | McMurdo Volcanic Group |
| Last eruption | 2011 |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 1908 by Edgeworth David and party |
The volcano has been active for around 1.3 million years and has a long-lived lava lake in its inner summit crater that has been present since at least the early 1970s.
On 28 November 1979 Air New Zealand Flight 901 crashed on Mount Erebus killing all 257 people on board.