Mount Schank
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Mount Schank is a dormant maar volcano in the south-east of South Australia, near Mount Gambier. It was named by James Grant in 1800 after Admiral John Schank, designer of Grant's ship, the HMS Lady Nelson.
Mount Schank was created as part of volcanic activity in the Holocene, between 4,000 and 2,000 years ago, at the same time as Mount Gambier. It is a very basic ash cone perhaps a hundred metres high, and the base of the crater does not extend below the water table, so there is no crater lake as with those at Mt Gambier. There are two small subsidiary craters adjacent to the main cone and some lava flows resulting from the eruption; examination of the lava nearby shows quench features, typical of rapid cooling brought about by contact with seawater. This suggests that the area was covered by the sea when the eruption occurred; unsurprising, as today the volcano is only around 20 km north of the shore.
An interesting sidenote to the eruption is that the local Aboriginal people would certainly have witnessed it.
The site is accessible from the Mount Gambier-Port MacDonnell road by car; there is a small carpark and picnic table, and steps have been placed to facilitate the short but very steep walk to the rim of the crater. It is a fairly simple walk to traverse the rim, though the exposed situation can be treacherous in gusty weather.
[edit] References
- N.H. Ludbrook. A guide to the geology and mineral resources of South Australia. Government Printer, 1980.
