Queen Mary's Peak
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| Queen Mary's Peak (Tristan da Cunha) | |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 2,062 m (6,765 ft) |
| Location | Tristan da Cunha |
| Prominence | 2,062 m (6,765 ft) |
| Coordinates | |
| Type | Shield volcano |
| Last eruption | 2004 |
Queen Mary's Peak is the highest mountain in the South Atlantic Ocean, situated on the Island of Tristan da Cunha, an overseas territory of the United Kingdom. It has an elevation of 2,062 metres (6,765 feet) above sea level. It is named after Mary of Teck, the Queen consort of King George V.
The mountain is the peak of the massive shield volcano which forms the island. A 300 m (1,000 ft) wide summit crater caps the peak, and it contains a heart-shaped crater lake. This lake is normally frozen during the winter, and the upper slopes of the volcano are covered in snow.
Queen Mary's Peak was used by sailors on the route from Europe to the Indian Ocean and beyond as a navigational aid. In the 17th century the East India Company instructed captains to sail via Tristan. In 2004, Ellen McArthur sighted the Peak on her record-breaking circumnavigation of the world. The peak is snow capped in the winter months.
Queen Mary's Peak was formed by a center of upwelling magma called the Tristan hotspot.
[edit] References
- Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program: Tristan da Cunha
- Tristan da Cunha Island Tour: Peak
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This article about a location in Saint Helena or its dependencies of Tristan da Cunha and Ascension Island is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
