Misplaced Pages

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Vipinhari (talk | contribs) at 17:38, 17 February 2016 (Reverted edits by 216.25.187.122 (talk) (HG) (3.1.19)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Big Ben is a volcanic massif that dominates the geography of Heard Island in the southern Indian Ocean. It is a composite cone with a diameter of approximately 25 kilometres. Its highest peak is Mawson Peak, which is 2,745 m above sea level. Much of it is covered by ice, including 14 major glaciers which descend from Big Ben to the sea. Big Ben is the highest mountain in Australian Territory. A smaller volcanic headland, the Laurens Peninsula, extends approximately 10 km to the northwest, created by a separate volcano, Mount Dixon; its highest point is Anzac Peak, at 715 m.

Volcanic activity

Volcanic activity at the cone has been known since 1881. An eruption occurred in 1993. Satellite images detected eruptions during 2000. On 2 February 2001, observations from Atlas Cove, 15 km NW of Mawson Peak, showed plumes up to 1 km high over the volcano. Satellite images showed hotspots at various times from 2003 to 2008, and during September 2012. A further eruption was reported on 2 February 2016, and was recorded by scientists who happened to be in the area on an expedition.

See also

• List of volcanoes in Australia

References

1. Big Ben
2. Heard Island Volcano - John Seach
3. "Scientists film Big Ben sub-Antarctic volcano eruption". BBC News. Retrieved 2016-02-02.

• LeMasurier, W. E.; Thomson, J. W., eds. (1990). Volcanoes of the Antarctic Plate and Southern Oceans. American Geophysical Union. p. 512 pp. ISBN 0-87590-172-7.

External links

• Click here to see a map of Heard Island and McDonald Islands, including all major topographical features
• Location and history of Heard Island
• Australian Government (Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities) Heard Island and MacDonald Islands (HIMI) website

53°06′30″S 73°31′30″E / 53.10833°S 73.52500°E / -53.10833; 73.52500

This subantarctic islands location article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e

• Active volcanoes
• Complex volcanoes
• Volcanoes of Heard Island and McDonald Islands
• Subantarctic island geography stubs