Mount Terror is an extinct volcano about high on

Ross Island Ross Island is an island in Antarctica lying on the east side of McMurdo Sound and extending from Cape Bird in the north to Cape Armitage in the south, and a similar distance from Cape Royds in the west to Cape Crozier in the east. The isl ...

, Antarctica, about eastward of

Mount Erebus Mount Erebus () is the southernmost active volcano on Earth, located on Ross Island in the Ross Dependency in Antarctica. With a summit elevation of , it is the second most prominent mountain in Antarctica (after Mount Vinson) and the second ...

. Mount Terror was named in 1841 by polar explorer Sir

James Clark Ross Sir James Clark Ross (15 April 1800 – 3 April 1862) was a British Royal Navy officer and explorer of both the northern and southern polar regions. In the Arctic, he participated in two expeditions led by his uncle, Sir John Ross, John ...

for his second ship, HMS ''Terror''.

Geology

Mount Terror is a

shield volcano A shield volcano is a type of volcano named for its low profile, resembling a shield lying on the ground. It is formed by the eruption of highly fluid (low viscosity) lava, which travels farther and forms thinner flows than the more viscous lava ...

that forms the eastern part of

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 has numerous

cinder cone A cinder cone or scoria cone is a steep, volcanic cone, conical landform of loose pyroclastic rock, pyroclastic fragments, such as volcanic ash, clinkers, or scoria that has been built around a volcanic vent. The pyroclastic fragments are forme ...

s and domes on the flanks of the shield and is mostly under

snow Snow consists of individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water througho ...

and

ice Ice is water that is frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 ° C, 32 ° F, or 273.15 K. It occurs naturally on Earth, on other planets, in Oort cloud objects, and as interstellar ice. As a naturally oc ...

. It is the second-largest of the four volcanoes that make up Ross Island.

Geography

The rocks at the summit have not been studied, but rocks from the lower areas range from 0.82 to 1.75 million years old, and Mount Terror shows no signs of more recent volcanic activity. The first ascent of Mount Terror was made by a

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

party in 1959. The mountain is to the west of

Cape Crozier Cape Crozier () is the most easterly point of Ross Island in Antarctica. It was discovered in 1841 during James Clark Ross's polar expedition of 1839 to 1843 with HMS ''Erebus'' and HMS ''Terror'', and was named after Commander Francis Crozi ...

, and east of Mount Terra Nova and

Central features

Kienle Nunataks

. Three aligned nunataks to the north of Mount Terror in northeast Ross Island. The nunataks trend east-west for and rise to about . The central nunatak is north-northeast of the Mount Terror summit. At the suggestion of P.R. Kyle, named by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN) after Juergen Kienle (d.), Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, a United States Antarctic Project (USAP) team leader for the investigation of volcanic activity and seismicity on Mount Erebus in six field seasons, 1980-81 through 1985-86.

Mount Sutherland

. A peak west-northwest of the summit of Mount Terror on Ross Island. The feature rises to about . Named by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN) (2000) after Alexander L. Sutherland, Jr., Ocean Projects Manager, OPP, NSF, with responsibility for directing operations and logistics for United States Antarctic Project (USAP) research vessels from 1989; responsible for acquisition of the Research Vessel/Ice Breakers Nathaniel B. Palmer and Laurence M. Gould.

Rohnke Crests

. Two rock ridges, about high, that are parallel and rise above the general ice mantle on the southeast slopes of Mount Terror. This feature is east of the head of Eastwind Glacier and northeast of Conical Hill. Names in association with Eastwind Glacier after Captain (later Rear Admiral) Oscar C. Rohnke, USCG, who commanded United States Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) Eastwind in Ross Sea during United States Navy (United States Navy) Operation Deep Freeze (OpDFrz) I, 1955-56.

Moore Peak

. A peak rising to high on the west slope of Mount Terror, Ross Island. The peak is west-southwest of the summit of Mount Terror and south of Mount Sutherland. At the suggestion of P.R. Kyle, named by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN) (2000) after James A. Moore, a member of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology team on Mount Erebus in the 1983–84 and 1985-86 field seasons. He completed his M.S. thesis on the geology of Mount Erebus.

Ohau Peak

. A sharp rock peak northeast of the summit of Mount Terror on Ross Island. The feature rises to about high and is central in three aligned summits north of Mount McIntosh. Named by New Zealand Geographic Board (NZGB) (2000) after a peak near the locality of Tekapo (see Tekapo Ridge), New Zealand.

Giggenbach Ridge

. A north-south chain of summits, long, located to the west and northwest of Mount Terror. The ridge rises to about west of Mount Terror, but descends to at the north end. Named at the suggestion of P.R. Kyle, named by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN) (2000) after Werner F. Giggenbach, Chemistry Division, DSIR, who worked in the NZAP at Mount Erebus in four field seasons during the 1970s. He rappelled into the Inner Crater of Mount Erebus in 1978, but had to be pulled out when an eruption showered him and colleagues on the crater rim with volcanic bombs. He was one of the leading volcanic gas geochemists of the period.

Chuan Peak

. A peak, about high, located northeast of Barker Peak in the south part of Giggenbach Ridge, Ross Island. At the suggestion of P.R. Kyle, named by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN) (2000) after Raymond L. Chuan who, as a scientist with the Brunswick Corporation, Costa Mesa, CA, undertook many airborne surveys of volcanic aerosols from Mount Erebus and also did sampling at the crater rim, 1983–84 and 1986–87; investigator (with Julie Palais) on a project which examined aerosols between Mount Erebus and the South Pole.

Manahan Peak

. A prominent peak east of Giggenbach Ridge in northeast Ross Island. The peak rises to over high northwest of the summit of Mount Terror. Named by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN) (2000) after biologist Donal T. Manahan, who worked eight seasons in Antarctica from 1983; United States Antarctic Project (USAP) prinicipal investigator in study of early stages (embryos larvae) of marine animals; chair, Polar Research Board, National Academy of Sciences, 2000.

Barker Peak

. A peak west-northwest of Mount Terror on Ross Island. The feature rises to about high and is the western of two peaks near the south end of Giggenbach Ridge. Name by New Zealand Geographic Board (NZGB) (2000) after Major James R. M. Barker, officer in command at Scott Base, 1970–71; a NZAP manager, 1970-86.

Joyce Peak

. A peak rising to over high in the north-central part of Ross Island. It stands west of the main summits of Giggenbach Ridge and south-southeast of Wyandot Point. Named by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN) (2000) after Karen Joyce, a long-term ASA employee, who from 1990 made 10 deployments to McMurdo Station, including a winter-over; assisted with computers in the Crary Science and Engineering Center.

Kristin Peak

. A peak rising to over high at the north end of Giggenbach Ridge on Ross Island. The feature is south of Cape Tennyson. Named by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN) (2000) after Kristin Larson, who has participated in support activities to United States Antarctic Project (USAP) from 1988, including two winters at McMurdo Station; supervisor, Eklund Biological Center and Thiel Labs, 1988 and 1992; supervisor, Crary Science and Engineering Center, 1992–95; editor, The Antarctican Society newsletter from 1996; later of staff of OPP, NSF.

Eastern features

Features to the east, towards the Kyle Hills, include:

Tent Peak

. A tent-shaped peak rising to about high midway between Mount Terror and

. It was descriptively named by a party of the

New Zealand Geological Survey Antarctic Expedition The New Zealand Geological Survey Antarctic Expedition (NZGSAE) describes a series of scientific explorations of the continent Antarctica. The expeditions were notably active throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Features named by the expeditions 19 ...

(NZGSAE), 1958–59, which occupied the peak as an astronomical control station, January 5, 1959, and erected a tent below the peak.

The Tooth

. A distinctive rock outcrop on the eastern slopes of Mount Terror at an elevation of about . The feature lies south-southeast of Tent Peak and is reported to resemble a fossilized shark's tooth. Descriptively named by a party of the NZGSAE, 1958–59, working in eastern Ross Island.

Slattery Peak

. A somewhat isolated rock peak, about high, that rises above the ice mantle southeast of Mount Terror. The peak position is additionally defined as southwest of The Knoll and east-northeast of Rohnke Crests. Named after Leo Slattery, who wintered at Scott Base three times, twice as Officer in Charge; Post Clerk on Ross Island, summer 1973-74; Postmaster on Ross Island, summers 1979-80, 1981–82, and 1983–84.

Pönui Nunatak

. A nunatak located southeast of Slattery Peak and southwest of The Knoll. The feature rises to high near the juncture of the island and Ross Ice Shelf. The name Ponui (meaning south wind) is one of several Maori wind names applied by New Zealand Geographic Board (NZGB) in this vicinity.

Conical Hill

. A small but distinctive rock hill, high, on the south slopes of Mount Terror, above Cape MacKay. Given this descriptive name by the British Antarctic Expedition, 1910–13, under Scott.

Cultural references

*Mount Terror is the stronghold of Russian anarchist revolutionaries in the 1894 science fiction novel '' Olga Romanoff'' by

George Griffith George Chetwynd Griffith-Jones (20 August 18574 June 1906) was a British writer. He was active mainly in the science fiction genre—or as it was known at the time, scientific romance—in particular writing many future war, future-war storie ...

. *Mount Terror and

are mentioned in the 1936 novella ''

At the Mountains of Madness ''At the Mountains of Madness'' is a science-fiction and cosmic horror novella by the American author H. P. Lovecraft, written in February/March 1931 and published in 1936. Rejected that year by ''Weird Tales'' editor Farnsworth Wright on t ...

'' by H.P. Lovecraft. *Mount Terror is used as a location in the 2004 novel ''

State of Fear ''State of Fear'' is a 2004 techno-thriller novel by Michael Crichton, his fourteenth under his own name and twenty-fourth overall, in which eco-terrorism, eco-terrorists plot mass murder to publicize the danger of global warming. Despite being ...

'' by

Michael Crichton John Michael Crichton (; October 23, 1942 – November 4, 2008) was an American author, screenwriter and filmmaker. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and over a dozen have been adapted into films. His literary works heavil ...

. *Mount Terror is referenced in

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...

's ''

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas'' () is a science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may inclu ...

'' by the narrator Professor Arronax, after they arrive at the South Pole, in reference to two volcanic craters, the Erebus and Terror, in context to an earlier discovery by

References

Sources

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Terror, Mount Volcanoes of Ross Island Polygenetic shield volcanoes Extinct volcanoes Pleistocene shield volcanoes Shield volcanoes of Antarctica