The Central Masson Range () is the central segment of the three parts of the

Masson Range The Masson Range is a high broken chain of mountains, consisting primarily of the North Masson, Central Masson and South Masson Ranges, forming a part of the Framnes Mountains. Physical The Masson Range has several peaks over . The highest p ...

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

. It rises to and extends in a north–south direction.

Physical

The Central Masson Range is to the east and south of the North Masson Range. Blair Peak ( at its northern end is a

nunatak A nunatak (from Inuit language, Inuit ) is the summit or ridge of a mountain that protrudes from an ice field or glacier that otherwise covers most of the mountain or ridge. They often form natural pyramidal peaks. Isolated nunataks are also cal ...

that is separate from the main massif. The northern part of this range has similar geology and structure to the North Masson Range.

Botany

Lichen collected at the north end of the main mass and south included twelve fairly plentiful species of lichen, notably '' Rhizocarpon flavium''.

Exploration

The Masson Range was discovered and named by the

British Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition The British Australian (and) New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition (BANZARE) was a research expedition into Antarctica between 1929 and 1931, involving two voyages over consecutive Austral summers. It was a British Commonwealth initiative, d ...

, 1929–31, under

Douglas Mawson Sir Douglas Mawson (5 May 1882 – 14 October 1958) was a British-born Australian geologist, Antarctic explorer, and academic. Along with Roald Amundsen, Robert Falcon Scott, and Sir Ernest Shackleton, he was a key expedition leader during ...

. This central range was mapped by Norwegian cartographers from air photos taken by the

Lars Christensen Expedition Lars is a common male name in Scandinavian countries. Origin ''Lars'' means "from the city of Laurentum". Lars is derived from the Latin name Laurentius, which means "from Laurentum" or "crowned with laurel", and is therefore related to the name ...

, 1936–37, and named "Mekammen" (the middle comb or crest). The approved name, suggested by the

Antarctic Names Committee of Australia The Australian Antarctic Names and Medals Committee (AANMC) was established to advise the Government on names for features in the Australian Antarctic Territory and the subantarctic territory of Heard Island and the McDonald Islands. The committe ...

in 1960, more clearly identifies the feature as a part of Masson Range.

Features

Framnes Mountains Satellite Image Map Masson Range

Features include:

Blair Peak

. Sharp peak, , situated southeast of Rumdoodle Peak in the Masson Range of the Framnes Mountains. Mapped by Norwegian cartographers from aerial photographs taken by the Lars Christensen Expedition, 1936-37. Remapped by ANARE, 1957-60, and named for James Blair, senior diesel mechanic at

Mawson Station Mawson Station, commonly called Mawson, is one of three permanent bases and research outposts in Antarctica managed by the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD). Mawson lies in Holme Bay in Mac. Robertson Land, East Antarctica in the Australian ...

, 1958. Blair Peak stands apart from the other mountains in the Masson and

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

ranges, and from its summit gives a panoramic view of these ranges.

Ferguson Peak

Altitude . A peak about west of the main massif of the Central Masson Range, Mac.Robertson Land, just north of Phillips Ridge. Named after O Ferguson, senior technician (electronics) at Mawson in 1962.

Phillips Ridge

. Ridge, long, standing west of the main massif of the Central Masson Range in the Framnes Mountains, Mac. Robertson Land. Mapped by Norwegian cartographers from air photos taken by the.Lars Christensen Expedition, 1936-37. Named by ANCA for J. Phillips, physicist at Mawson Station in 1962.

Dallice Peak

The highest peak of the Central Masson Range, near its southern end. The peak, above sea level, rises from a high ridge and is not very prominent. Named for Dalice Trost, daughter of Peter A Trost, physicist at Mawson in 1958. (Note: The minutes of the meeting of July 1959 incorrectly spelt her name as Dallice. This wasn't picked up until May 2018. The name appears on many maps and has been adopted by other countries, so it couldn't be corrected.)

References

Sources

* * * * * * Mountain ranges of Mac. Robertson Land {{MacRobertsonLand-geo-stub