Mount Sidley is Antarctica’s highest volcano, and one of the most inaccessible large mountains in the world. Only a few…
Mount Sidley is Antarctica’s highest volcano, and one of the most inaccessible large mountains in the world. Only a few scientists and adventure tourists have ever climbed it. Its huge crater, 5 km (3 mi) across, was created by a series of violent eruptions almost 5 million years ago. Many other details are still unknown: for example, its height is about 4,250 m (13,950 ft), but it has never been precisely measured with modern, GPS-based surveying techniques. A pattern of deep earthquakes has led geologists to believe that a new volcano may be building nearby to the south, although it might never reach through the ice sheet as Mount Sidley has. The ice is up to 1.5 km (1 mi) thick in this area, and covers what would be a very rugged landscape if it were exposed. Landsat 8 collected this image on the 21st. by mapbox (via http://instagram.com/p/yLi8yuTeae/)