 | The caldera of Mount Hampton viewed from the northwest (U.S. Navy photo) <click to enlarge> |
Mount Hampton
10902 ft (3323 m) . |
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| Location: | Executive Committee Range, Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica | ||
| Lat / Long: | 76.5° S, 126.0° W | ||
| Volcanic Type: | Shield volcano complex with calderas | ||
| Volcanic Status: | Dormant (possible recent fumaroles) | ||
| First Ascent: | |||
| First Ski Descent: | |||
| Skiable Vertical: | over 3000 ft (900 m) | ||
| Mount Hampton is the northernmost of the five major volcanoes in the Executive Committee Range, a broad shield topped by an almost perfectly preserved 4 mile (6 km) wide caldera which lies atop the edge of the older Whitney Peak volcano and caldera. Along the rim of Hampton's caldera are several large conical ice towers, which are believed to be the preserved remnants of fumarolic ice towers similar to those found on currently active volcanoes such as Mounts Erebus and Berlin. This may be evidence of geologically recent activity, despite the volcano's age of over 11 million years. Almost the entire cone of Mount Hampton is hidden by ice, as the great thickness of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet conceals all but the upper 3000 ft (900 m). Farther south, the similar but slightly lower volcanic cone of Mount Cumming is even more completely buried by the ice sheet (see topo map). | |||
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Some useful links: United States Antarctic Resource Center USGS Atlas of Antarctic Research (online maps & photos) |
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| Topographic map of Mount Hampton (1:250,000 scale) from USGS Mount Hampton <click to enlarge> |
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More photos and info about routes, access, etc. may be added in the future ... |
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