Mount Sidley

Mount Sidley
Aerial view of the Mt. Sidley caldera from the southwest
Elevation	4,285 m (14,058 ft) [1][2]
Prominence	2,517 m (8,258 ft) [1]
Listing	Volcanic Seven Summits, Ultra
Location
Mount Sidley Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica
Range	Executive Committee Range
Coordinates	77°02′S 126°06′W / 77.033°S 126.1°W / -77.033; -126.1Coordinates: 77°02′S 126°06′W / 77.033°S 126.1°W / -77.033; -126.1
Geology
Type	Shield volcano (extinct)

Mount Sidley is the highest volcano in Antarctica, a member of the Volcanic Seven Summits, with a summit elevation of 4,181–4,285 metres (13,717–14,058 ft).^[1][2] 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.

Topographic map of Mounts Sidley and Waesche (1:250,000 scale)

See also

• List of volcanoes in Antarctica

References

• LeMasurier, W. E.; Thomson, J. W. (eds.) (1990). Volcanoes of the Antarctic Plate and Southern Oceans. American Geophysical Union. pp. 203–207. ISBN 0-87590-172-7. 

• "Amar Andalkar's Ski Mountaineering and Climbing Site. Skiing the Pacific Ring of Fire and Beyond". 1997–2007. http://www.skimountaineer.com/ROF/RingOfFire.html. Retrieved 2005-01-14. 

1. ^ ^{a b c} Antarctica on peaklist.org
2. ^ ^{a b} . The map above showed the elevation as 4,181 m (13,717 ft).
3. ^ 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.