Beerenberg

This article is about volcano. For the financial company, see Berenberg Bank. For other uses, see Beerenberg (disambiguation).
Beerenberg

Beerenberg, July 2011
Elevation 2,277 m (7,470 ft)
Prominence 2,277 m (7,470 ft)
Listing Ultra
Location
Beerenberg

Jan Mayen, Norway

Coordinates 71°4′36″N 8°9′52″W / 71.07667°N 8.16444°WCoordinates: 71°4′36″N 8°9′52″W / 71.07667°N 8.16444°W
Geology
Type Stratovolcano
Last eruption January 1985
Climbing
First ascent 1921 Wordie, Mercanton and Lethbridge[1]

Beerenberg is a 2,277 m (7,470 ft) stratovolcano which forms the northeastern end of the Norwegian island of Jan Mayen. It is the world's northernmost subaerial active volcano.[2] The volcano is topped by a mostly ice-filled crater about 1 km (0.6 mi) wide,[3] with numerous peaks along its rim including the highest summit, Haakon VII Toppen, on its western side.

The upper slopes of the volcano are largely ice-covered, with several major glaciers including five which reach the sea.[4] The longest of the glaciers is the Weyprecht Glacier, which flows from the summit crater via a breach through the northwestern portion of the crater rim, and extends about 6 km (4 mi) down to the sea.

Beerenberg is composed primarily of basaltic lava flows with minor amounts of tephra. Numerous cinder cones have been formed along flank fissures.

Its most recent eruption took place in 1985, with prior eruptions in 1973 and 1970, all of which were flank eruptions from fissures on the northeast side of the mountain. Other eruptions with historical records occurred in 1732, 1818, and 1851.[3]

Its name means "Bear Mountain" in Dutch, and it takes its name from the polar bears seen there by Dutch whalers in the early 17th century.[5]

Soviet topographic map of Jan Mayen

See also

References

  1. ↑ Chetwode, Philip et al. (1939). "The Imperial College Expedition to Jan Mayen Island: Discussion". The Geographical Journal 94 (2): 131–134. JSTOR 1787248.
  2. ↑ http://www.sveurop.org/gb/menu/fr_menu.htm Jan Mayen Expedition 1997 European Volcanological Society
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Jan Mayen". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution.
  4. ↑ Jan Mayen Topographic Map
  5. ↑ James Gordon Hayes, The Conquest of the North Pole: Recent Arctic Exploration, p. 222, Taylor & Francis, 1934

External links

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