Editing Mount Erebus

{{short description|Volcano on Ross Island, Antarctica}}
{{distinguish|Mount Elbrus|Mount Erebus (Canada)}}
{{use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}

{{Infobox mountain
| name = Mount Erebus
| photo = Mt erebus.jpg
| photo_caption = Mount Erebus
| elevation_m = 3792
| elevation_ref = {{sfn|Mount Erebus GVP}}
| prominence_m = 3765
| prominence_ref = <ref>{{Cite web |title=World Ribus – Transantarctic Mountains
|url=https://worldribus.org/transantarctic-mountains/|access-date=2024-12-26 |website=World Ribus}}</ref><br/><small>[[List of peaks by prominence|Ranked 34th]]</small>
| listing = [[Ultra prominent peaks|Ultra]], Ribu
| location = [[Ross Island]], [[Antarctica]]<br/>(claimed by New Zealand as part of the [[Ross Dependency]])
| map = Antarctica
| map_alt = Map of Antarctica showing location of Mount Erebus
| map_caption = Mount Erebus in Antarctica
| map_size = 
| label = Mount Erebus
| label_position = right
| coordinates = {{coord|77|31|47|S|167|09|12|E|type:mountain_region:AQ_scale:100000_source:GNIS|format=dms|display=inline,title|name=Mount Erebus}}
| range_coordinates = 
| coordinates_ref = {{sfn|Alberts|1995|p=223}}
| topo = Ross Island
| type = [[Stratovolcano]] (composite cone)
| volcanic_belt = [[McMurdo Volcanic Group]]
| age = 1.3 million years
| last_eruption = 2020
| first_ascent =March 10, 1908 by [[Edgeworth David]] and party. [[Nimrod Expedition]]<ref>{{cite web
  | url = http://www.aad.gov.au/default.asp?casid=6740
  | title = Antarctic explorers
  | publisher = Australian Antarctic Division
  | access-date = 2008-12-29
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100522055348/http://www.aad.gov.au/default.asp?casid=6740
  | archive-date = 2010-05-22
  | url-status = dead
  }}</ref><ref name="Aurora">{{cite book |editor-last=Shackleton |editor-first=Ernest |title=Aurora Australis |publisher=[[Ernest Joyce|Joyce]] & [[Frank Wild|Wild]] |location=[[Cape Royds]], [[Antarctica]] |year=1908 |isbn=|oclc=}}</ref>
| easiest_route = 
}}
'''Mount Erebus''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɛr|ɪ|b|ə|s}}) is the southernmost [[active volcano]] on Earth, located on [[Ross Island]] in the [[Ross Dependency]] in [[Antarctica]]. With a summit elevation of {{Convert|3792|m}}, it is the [[List of ultras of Antarctica|second most prominent mountain in Antarctica]] (after [[Mount Vinson]]) and the second-highest [[volcano]] in Antarctica (after the [[dormant volcano|dormant]] [[Mount Sidley]]). It is the highest point on Ross Island, which is also home to three inactive volcanoes: [[Mount Terror (Antarctica)|Mount Terror]], [[Mount Bird]], and [[Mount Terra Nova]]. It makes Ross Island the [[List of islands by highest point|sixth-highest island]] on Earth.<ref>{{citation |url=http://peaklist.org/WWlists/ultras/antarctica.html |title=Antarctica Ultra-Prominences |website=peaklist.org  |publisher=Aaron Maizlish}}</ref>

The mountain was named by [[James Clark Ross|Captain James Clark Ross]] in 1841 for his ship, [[HMS Erebus (1826)|HMS ''Erebus'']].{{sfn|Alberts|1995|p=223}}  The volcano has been active for around 1.3 million years and has a long-lived [[lava lake]] in its inner summit crater that has been present since at least the early 1970s. On 28 November 1979, [[Air New Zealand Flight 901]] crashed on Mount Erebus, killing all 257 people on board.

{{TOC limit|2}}

==Geology and volcanology==
[[File:Anorthoclase-219058.jpg|thumb|upright| [[Anorthoclase]] crystal (45 mm long) from Mount Erebus]]

Mount Erebus is the world's southernmost active volcano. It is the current eruptive centre of the [[Erebus hotspot]]. The summit contains a persistent convecting [[Phonolite|phonolitic]] lava lake, one of five long-lasting [[lava lake]]s on Earth. Characteristic eruptive activity consists of [[Strombolian eruption]]s from the lava lake or from one of several subsidiary vents, all within the volcano's inner crater.<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Kyle |editor-first=P. R. |title=Volcanological and Environmental Studies of Mount Erebus, Antarctica |series=Antarctic Research Series |publisher=American Geophysical Union |location=Washington DC |year=1994 |isbn=0-87590-875-6|oclc=	1132108108 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Aster |first1=R. |last2=Mah |first2=S. |last3=Kyle |first3=P. |last4=McIntosh |first4=W. |last5=Dunbar |first5=N. |first6=J. |last6=Johnson |title=Very long period oscillations of Mount Erebus volcano |journal=[[Journal of Geophysical Research|J. Geophys. Res.]] |volume=108 |issue= B11|pages=2522 |doi=10.1029/2002JB002101 |year=2003 |bibcode=2003JGRB..108.2522A |doi-access=free }}</ref>  The volcano is scientifically remarkable in that its relatively low-level and unusually persistent eruptive activity enables long-term volcanological study of a Strombolian eruptive system very close (hundreds of metres) to the active vents, a characteristic shared with only a few volcanoes on Earth, such as [[Stromboli]] in Italy. Scientific study of the volcano is also facilitated by its proximity to [[McMurdo Station]] (U.S.) and [[Scott Base]] (New Zealand), both sited on [[Ross Island|the same island]] around 35&nbsp;km away.

Mount Erebus is classified as a [[Polygenetic volcanic field|polygenetic]] [[stratovolcano]]. The bottom half of the volcano is a shield and the top half is a stratocone. The composition of the current eruptive products of Erebus are [[anorthoclase]]-[[porphyritic]] [[tephritic phonolite]] and [[phonolite]], which are the bulk of exposed lava flow on the volcano. The oldest eruptive products consist of relatively [[igneous differentiation|undifferentiated]] and [[Viscosity|nonviscous]] [[basanite]] lavas that form the low broad platform shield of Erebus. Slightly younger basanite and [[phonotephrite]] lavas crop out on Fang Ridge{{snd}}an eroded remnant of an early Erebus volcano{{snd}}and at other isolated locations on the flanks of Erebus. Erebus is the world's only presently erupting phonolite volcano.<ref name="Burg2012">{{cite journal |last1=Burgisser |first1=Alain |last2=Oppenheimer |first2=Clive |last3=Alletti |first3=Marina |last4=Kyle |first4=Philip R. |last5=Scaillet |first5=Bruno |last6=Carroll |first6=Michael R. |title=Backward Tracking of Gas Chemistry Measurements at Erebus Volcano |journal=Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems |date=November 2012 |volume=13 |issue=11 |page= |doi=10.1029/2012GC004243|bibcode=2012GGG....1311010B |s2cid=14494732 |url=https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-00771966/file/ggge2328.pdf }}</ref>

Lava flows of more viscous phonotephrite and [[trachyte]] erupted after the basanite. The upper slopes of Mount Erebus are dominated by steeply [[Strike and dip|dipping]] (about 30°) tephritic phonolite lava flows with large-scale flow levees. A conspicuous break in slope around 3,200 m ASL calls attention to a summit plateau representing a [[caldera]]. The summit caldera was created by an explosive [[Volcanic Explosivity Index|VEI]]-6 eruption that occurred 18,000 ± 7,000 years ago.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bgs.ac.uk/vogripa/searchVOGRIPA.cfc?method=detail&id=2421|title=VOGRIPA|website=www.bgs.ac.uk}}</ref> It is filled with small volume tephritic phonolite and phonolite lava flows. In the center of the summit caldera is a small, steep-sided cone composed primarily of decomposed [[lava bomb]]s and a large deposit of [[anorthoclase]] crystals known as [[Erebus crystal]]s. The active lava lake in this summit cone undergoes continuous degassing.

Microscopic gold particles have been found up to 1000 kilometres from Mount Erebus, ranging in size up to 60 micrometres.  A 1991 paper shows that these particles condense from the volcano's emissions that include 80 grams of gold vapor daily. This amount of gold vapor is low compared to other volcanoes, but the condensation from vapor into gold particles is the first ever documented.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Meeker |first1=Kimberly A. |last2=Chuan |first2=Ray L. |last3=Kyle |first3=Philip R. |last4=Palais |first4=Julie M. |author-link4=Julie Palais |date=August 1991 |title=Emission of elemental gold particles from Mount Erebus, Ross Island, Antarctica |url= |journal=[[Geophysical Research Letters]] |volume=18 |issue=8 |pages=1405–1408 |doi=10.1029/91GL01928 |bibcode=1991GeoRL..18.1405M |quote=Although the flux of emitted Au is low compared to other volcanoes, crystalline particulate Au has been found in the plume near the crater, in ambient air up to 1000km from the volcano and in near surface samples.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hecht |first=Jeff |date=7 September 1991 |title=Science: Antarctic gold dust |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg13117853-300-science-antarctic-gold-dust/ |access-date=2022-08-24 |website=[[New Scientist]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

Researchers spent more than three months during the 2007–08 field season installing an atypically dense array of [[seismometer]]s around Mount Erebus to listen to waves of energy generated by small, controlled blasts from explosives they buried along its flanks and perimeter, and to record scattered seismic signals generated by lava lake eruptions and local ice quakes. By studying the refracted and scattered seismic waves, the scientists produced an image of the uppermost (top few km) of the volcano to understand the geometry of its "plumbing" and how the [[magma]] rises to the lava lake.
<ref>{{cite web |title=Plumbing Erebus: Scientists use seismic technique to map interior of Antarctic volcano |url=http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/science/contenthandler.cfm?id=1355 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Zandomeneghi |first1=D. |last2=Aster |first2=R. |last3=Kyle |first3=P. |last4=Barclay |first4=A. |last5=Chaput |first5=J. |last6=Knox |first6=H. |title=Internal structure of Erebus volcano, Antarctica imaged by high-resolution active-source seismic tomography and coda interferometry |journal=[[Journal of Geophysical Research]] |volume=118 |issue=3 |year=2013 |pages=1067–1078 |doi=10.1002/jgrb.50073 |bibcode=2013JGRB..118.1067Z |s2cid=129121276 |doi-access=free }}</ref> These results demonstrated a complex upper-volcano conduit system with appreciable upper-volcano magma storage to the northwest of the lava lake at depths hundreds of meters below the surface.

==Ice fumaroles==

Mount Erebus is notable for its numerous [[Fumarolic ice tower|ice fumaroles]] – ice towers that form around gases that escape from vents in the surface.<ref>For photographs of ice fumaroles, see [http://erebus.nmt.edu/index.php/icetowers Ice Towers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150101101454/http://erebus.nmt.edu/index.php/icetowers |date=2015-01-01 }} Mount Everest Volcano Observatory</ref> The ice caves associated with the fumaroles are dark, in polar alpine environments starved in organics and with oxygenated hydrothermal circulation in highly reducing host rock. The life is sparse, mainly bacteria and fungi. This makes it of special interest for studying [[oligotroph]]s – organisms that can survive on minimal amounts of resources.

The caves on Erebus are of special interest for astrobiology,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.astrobio.net/alien-life/descent-frozen-underworld/|title=Descent into a Frozen Underworld|date=2017-02-17|website=Astrobiology Magazine|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506181815/https://www.astrobio.net/alien-life/descent-frozen-underworld/ |archive-date=2021-05-06 |url-status=usurped}}</ref> as most surface caves are influenced by human activities, or by organics from the surface brought in by animals (e.g. bats and birds) or ground water.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.anothermag.com/design-living/7522/mount-erebus-a-tale-of-ice-and-fire|title=Mount Erebus: A Tale of Ice and Fire|last=AnOther|date=2015-06-18|website=AnOther|language=en|access-date=2019-07-05}}</ref> The caves at Erebus are at high altitude, yet accessible for study. Some of the caves can reach temperatures of 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit), and with light near the cave mouths, in some caves covered by thin overlying ice, the light may reach even deeper and is sufficient to sustain an ecosystem of flora and fauna consisting of moss, algae, arthropods and nematodes.<ref>{{cite web | title=Secret Life May Thrive Under Warm Antarctic Caves | website=Geology In | date=2017-09-09 | url=https://www.geologyin.com/2017/09/secret-life-may-thrive-under-warm.html}}</ref> 

They are dynamic systems that collapse and rebuild, but persist over decades. The air inside the caves has 80 to 100% humidity, and up to 3% [[carbon dioxide]] (CO<sub>2</sub>), and some [[carbon monoxide]] (CO) and [[hydrogen]] (H<sub>2</sub>), but almost no [[methane]] (CH<sub>4</sub>) or [[hydrogen sulfide]] (H<sub>2</sub>S). Many of them are completely dark, so cannot support photosynthesis. Organics can only come from the atmosphere, or from ice algae that grow on the surface in summer, which may eventually find their way into the caves through burial and melting. As a result, most micro-organisms there are [[chemolithoautotrophic]] i.e. microbes that get all of their energy from chemical reactions with the rocks, and that do not depend on any other lifeforms to survive.  The organisms survive using CO<sub>2</sub> fixation and some may use CO oxidization for the metabolism. The main types of microbe found there are [[Chloroflexota]] and [[Acidobacteriota]].<ref name="TeboDavis2015">{{cite journal|last1=Tebo|first1=Bradley M.|last2=Davis|first2=Richard E.|last3=Anitori|first3=Roberto P.|last4=Connell|first4=Laurie B.|last5=Schiffman|first5=Peter|last6=Staudigel|first6=Hubert|title=Microbial communities in dark oligotrophic volcanic ice cave ecosystems of Mt. Erebus, Antarctica|journal=Frontiers in Microbiology|volume=6|pages=179|year=2015|issn=1664-302X|doi=10.3389/fmicb.2015.00179|pmid = 25814983|pmc=4356161|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Wall|first1=Mike|title=Antarctic Cave Microbes Shed Light on Life's Diversity|url=http://www.livescience.com/17402-antarctica-mount-erebus-ice-cave-diversity.html|website=Livescience|date=9 December 2011}}</ref> In 2019, the [[Marsden grant|Marsden Fund]] granted nearly NZ$1 million to the [[University of Waikato]] and the [[University of Canterbury]] to study the micro-organisms in the geothermal fumaroles.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Harris|first=Rosie|date=2019|title=Micro-organisms in the volcanic vents of Erebus - a key to life on other planets?|journal=Antarctic|volume=38|issue=3 & 4|pages=14–15|issn=0003-5327}}</ref>

==History==
===Discovery and naming===
Mount Erebus was discovered on 27 January 1841 (and observed to be in eruption),<ref>{{cite book | last=Ross | first=J.C. | title=A Voyage of Discovery and Research in the Southern and Antarctic Regions, During the Years 1839-43 | publisher=John Murray | volume=1 | year=1847 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kjoNAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA216 | page=216-218}}</ref> by polar explorer Sir [[James Clark Ross]] on [[Ross expedition|his Antarctic expedition]], who named it and its companion, [[Mount Terror (Antarctica)|Mount Terror]], after his ships, [[HMS Erebus (1826)|HMS ''Erebus'']] and [[HMS Terror (1813)|HMS ''Terror'']] (which were later used and lost by Sir [[John Franklin]] on his disastrous [[Arctic]] [[Franklin's lost expedition|expedition]]). Present with Ross on HMS ''Erebus'' was the young [[Joseph Dalton Hooker|Joseph Hooker]], future president of the [[Royal Society]] and close friend of [[Charles Darwin]]. [[Erebus]] is a dark region in [[Hades]] in [[Greek mythology]], personified as the [[Greek primordial deities|Ancient Greek primordial deity]] of darkness, the son of [[Chaos (mythology)|Chaos]].<ref>Hesiod, ''Theogony'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Hes.+Th.+116 116–124].</ref>

===Historic sites===
[[File:Mount Erebus.png|thumb|Photograph of Mount Erebus (and [[Adélie penguin]]s) taken by the [[Terra Nova Expedition|''Terra Nova'' expedition]] in 1913]]
The mountain was surveyed in December 1912 by a science party from [[Robert Falcon Scott]]'s [[Terra Nova Expedition|''Terra Nova'' expedition]], who also collected geological samples. Two of the camp sites they used have been recognised for their historic significance:
* Upper “Summit Camp” site (HSM 89) consists of part of a circle of rocks, which were probably used to weight the tent valances.
* Lower “Camp E” site (HSM 90) consists of a slightly elevated area of gravel, as well as some aligned rocks, which may have been used to weight the tent valances.

They have been designated [[Historic Sites and Monuments in Antarctica|historic sites or monuments]] following a proposal by the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and the United States to the [[Antarctic Treaty System|Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting]].<ref name=atcm>{{cite web |url= http://www.ats.aq/documents/ATCM36/WW/atcm36_ww004_e.pdf|title= List of Historic Sites and Monuments approved by the ATCM (2013)|access-date=2014-01-09 |publisher=Antarctic Treaty Secretariat |year=2013}}</ref>

===Climbing===
{{main|Nimrod Expedition}}
Mount Erebus' summit crater rim was first achieved by members of Sir [[Ernest Shackleton]]'s party; [[Edgeworth David|Professor Edgeworth David]], [[Douglas Mawson|Sir Douglas Mawson]], [[Alistair Mackay|Dr Alister Mackay]], Alex Lagasse, [[Jameson Adams]], [[Eric Marshall|Dr Eric Marshall]] and Phillip Brocklehurst (who did not reach the summit),  on 10 March 1908. The ascent was documented in the first chapter of [[Aurora Australis (book)|Aurora Australis]], the first book to be written and published in Antarctica.<ref name="Aurora" /> Its first known solo ascent and the first winter ascent was accomplished by British mountaineer [[Roger Mear]] on 7 June 1985, a member of the "In the Footsteps of Scott" expedition.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mear |first1=Roger |last2=Swan |first2=Robert |last3=Fulcher |first3=Lindsay |title=A Walk to the Pole: To the Heart of Antarctica in the Footsteps of Scott |date=1987 |isbn=978-0-517-56611-4 |pages=95–104 |publisher=Crown |oclc=16092953 |language=English}}</ref> On 19–20 January 1991, Charles J. Blackmer, an iron-worker for many years at [[McMurdo Station]] and the [[South Pole]], accomplished a solo ascent in about 17 hours completely unsupported, by snow mobile and on foot.<ref name = "Wheeler Terra">{{cite book | title = Terra Incognita | url = https://archive.org/details/terraincognita00sara | url-access = registration | first = Sara | last = Wheeler| year = 1998 | publisher = Random House | isbn = 9780679440789 }}</ref><ref name = "Johnson Place">{{cite book | title = Big Dead Place | url = https://archive.org/details/bigdeadplaceinsi00nich | url-access = registration | first = Nicholas | last = Johnson| year = 2005 | publisher = Feral House | isbn = 9780922915996 }}</ref>

[[File:Mount Erebus craters, Ross Island, Antarctica (aerial view, 18 December 2000).jpg|Aerial view of Mount Erebus craters|thumb]]

===Robotic exploration===
In 1992, the inside of the volcano was explored by ''Dante I'', an eight legged tethered robotic explorer.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wettergreen |first1=David |last2=Thorpe |first2=Chuck |last3=Whittaker |first3=Red |title=Exploring Mount Erebus by Walking Robot |journal=Robotics and Autonomous Systems |date=December 1993 |volume=11 |issue=3–4 |pages=171–185|s2cid=1190583 |doi=10.1016/0921-8890(93)90022-5|citeseerx=10.1.1.46.6546 }}</ref> ''Dante'' was designed to acquire gas samples from the magma lake inside the inner crater of Mount Erebus to understand the chemistry better through the use of the on-board gas [[chromatograph]], as well as measuring the temperature inside the volcano and the radioactivity of the materials present in such volcanoes. ''Dante'' successfully scaled a significant portion of the crater before technical difficulties emerged with the fibre-optic cable used for communications between the walker and base station. Since ''Dante'' had not yet reached the bottom of the crater, no data of volcanic significance was recorded. The expedition proved to be highly successful in terms of robotic and computer science, and was possibly the first expedition by a robotic platform to Antarctica.

===Air New Zealand Flight 901===
[[File:Air New Zealand Flight 901.jpg|thumb|Wreckage of Flight 901]]
{{main|Mount Erebus disaster}}
[[Mount Erebus disaster|Air New Zealand Flight 901]] was a scheduled sightseeing service from [[Auckland Airport]] in [[New Zealand]] to [[Antarctica]] and return with a scheduled stop at [[Christchurch Airport]] to refuel before returning to Auckland.<ref name="Holmes">{{cite book |last1=Holmes |first1=Paul |title=Daughters of Erebus |date=2011 |publisher=Hodder Moa |isbn=978-1-86971-250-1 |page=31 |oclc=740446014 |language=English}}</ref> The [[Air New Zealand]] flyover service, for the purposes of Antarctic sightseeing, was operated with [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10|McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30]] aircraft and began in February 1977. The flight crashed into Mount Erebus on 28 November 1979, killing all 257 people on board. Passenger photographs taken seconds before the collision ruled out the "flying in a cloud" theory, showing perfectly clear visibility well beneath the cloud base, with landmarks visible {{convert|13|miles}} to the left and {{convert|10|miles}} to the right of the aircraft.<ref>Royal Commission Report, para 28</ref> The mountain directly ahead was lit by sunlight shining from directly behind the aircraft through the cloud deck above, resulting in a lack of shadows that made Mount Erebus effectively invisible against the overcast sky beyond in a classic [[Whiteout (weather)|whiteout]] (more accurately, "flat-light") phenomenon.<ref>Royal Commission Report, para 40(a)</ref> Further investigation of the crash showed a navigational error in flight documentation by Air New Zealand and a cover-up that resulted in about $100 million in lawsuits. Air New Zealand discontinued its flyovers of Antarctica. Its final flight was on 17 February 1980. During the Antarctic summer, snow melt on the flanks of Mount Erebus continually reveals debris from the crash that is visible from the air.<ref name="Holmes"/>

==Craters==
[[File:MountErebusNASA.jpg|Satellite picture of Mount Erebus showing glow from its persistent lava lake|thumb|100px]]
===Main Crater ===
{{coord|-77.528689|167.159805}}. 
The topographic feature that rises to about {{convert|3750|m}} high and forms the primary summit crater of Mount Erebus. 
Inner Crater, which lies within Main Crater, contains an anorthoclase-phonolite lava lake.{{sfn|Main Crater USGS}}

===Inner Crater===
{{coord|-77.527048|167.16524}}. 
The topographic feature that embraces the crater within the floor of Main Crater, at the summit of Mount Erebus. 
Inner Crater contains an active anorthoclase-phonolite lava lake. 
The name derives from the fact that the crater is within the Main Crater of Mount Erebus.{{sfn|Inner Crater USGS}}

===Side Crater===
{{coord|-77.529609|167.14334}}
A nearly circular crater, about {{convert|3700|m}} high, situated at the summit of Mount Erebus on the southwest crater rim. 
Named for its location on the side of the main summit cone of Mount Erebus.{{sfn|Side Crater USGS}}

===Western Crater===
{{coord|-77.532253|167.119251}}
A small circular crater at  {{convert|3561|m}} high on the western slope of the summit of Mount Erebus. 
So named for its location.{{sfn|Western Crater USGS}}

==Summit features==
{{geogroup}}
[[File:Ross Island Map USGS 250k.png|thumb| Mount Erebus is in the west center]]
Mount Erebus has several named features on its slopes, including a number of rock formations.{{sfn|Ross Island USGS}}
Features around the summit of the mountain include:

===Helo Cliffs===
{{coord|-77.503455|167.116913}}. 
Prominent cliffs at about {{convert|3525|m}} high on the north rim of the summit caldera of Mount Erebus. The name derives from a nearby United States Coast Guard (USCG) HH-52A helicopter (CG 1404) which lost power and crashed while enroute from McMurdo Station to Cape Bird, Jan. 9, 1971. The four crew and passengers were not injured, but the helicopter was abandoned because of its location.{{sfn|Helo Cliffs USGS}}

===Seismic Bluff===
{{coord|-77.531538|167.079644}}
Steep bluff at about  {{convert|3470|m}} high on the southwest rim of the summit caldera of Mount Erebus.
So named after a seismic station nearby.{{sfn|Seismic Bluff USGS}}

===Tower Ridge===
{{coord|-77.532647|167.112645}}. 
A ridge at about {{convert|3540|m}} high that descends the southwest slope of the summit crater of Mount Erebus. So named because the ridge is defined by a series of fumarolic ice towers.{{sfn|Tower Ridge USGS}}

===Camp Slope===
{{coord|-77.528236|167.146427}}. 
A concave slope, about {{convert|3650|m}} high, just south of Crystal Slope on the west side of the summit cone of Mount Erebus. The feature is the site of a slump which has occurred off the crater rim. It is also a former camp site used by summit parties. A small hut is located on the upper part of the slope.{{sfn|Camp Slope USGS}}

===Robot Gully===
{{coord|-77.52682|167.145742}}. 
A gully at about {{convert|3675|m}} high on the northwest side of the summit crater of Mount Erebus. The feature was used as the access route from a NASA robot called Dante that was carried to the crater rim, Jan. 1, 1993.{{sfn|Robot Gully USGS}}

===Crystal Slope===
{{coord|-77.52563|167.150153}}. 
A western slope, {{convert|3700|m}} high, between Camp Slope and Robot Gully, leading down from the summit crater rim of Mount Erebus. So named because the slope includes a talus of large anorthoclase feldspar crystals.{{sfn|Crystal Slope USGS}}

===Nausea Knob===
{{coord|-77.521068|167.146857}}
A prominent outcropping of jumbled rocks,  {{convert|3633|m}} high, formed as a lava flow on the northwest upper slope of the active cone of Mount Erebus. 
The feature is near a camp site used mainly in the 1970s by teams working at the summit of the volcano. 
So named because many working at the camp suffered from nausea due to high elevation mountain sickness.{{sfn|Nausea Knob USGS}}

==Northern features==
[[File:Mt Erebus, Antarctica (ASTER).jpg|thumb|500px|Mt Erebus, Antarctica]]
Features on the northern slopes include:
===Abbott Peak===
{{coord|77|26|S|167|00|E}}. 
Pyramidal peak on the north side of Mount Erebus,
between it and Mount Bird. Charted by the British Antarctic Expedition under Scott,
1910-13, and named for Petty Officer George P. Abbott, Royal Navy, a
member of the expedition.{{sfn|Alberts|1995|p=1}}

===Krall Crags===
{{coord|-77.454003|166.815833}}. 
Two rock summits rising to over {{convert|1400|m}} high on the northwest slope of [[Mount Erebus]]. The feature is {{convert|1.2|nmi}} west-northwest of Abbott Peak. At the suggestion of P.R. Kyle, named by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN) (2000) after Sarah Krall who worked over 10 years in providing support to science in Antarctica. She was cook and camp manager at the [[lower Erebus Hut]] during the 1992-93 NSF-NASA Dante robot experiment on Mount Erebus. She also managed the food room at McMurdo Station, was the hovercraft pilot, and has also been a helicopter technician.{{sfn|Krall Crags USGS}}

===Tarr Nunatak===
{{coord|-77.478006|166.888183}}
A nunatak rising to about  {{convert|1700|m}} high on the northwest slope of Mount Erebus. 
The feature is {{convert|1.2|nmi}} south-southwest of Abbott Peak. 
Named by New Zealand Geographic Board (NZGB) (2000) after Sergeant L.W. (Wally) Tarr, Royal New Zealand Air Force, aircraft mechanic with the New Zealand contingent of the [[Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition]] (CTAE), 1956-58.{{sfn|Tarr Nunatak USGS}}

===Fang Ridge===
{{coord|77|29|S|167|12|E}}. 
A conspicuous ridge on the northeast slope of Mount Erebus. 
It is a much denuded portion of the original caldera rim left by a catastrophic eruption. 
So named, probably for its curved shape, by Frank Debenham of the British Antarctic Expedition, 1910-13, who made a plane table survey in 1912.{{sfn|Alberts|1995|p=232}}

=== The Fang===
{{coord|-77.485943|167.203614}}.
A distinctive toothlike peak, {{convert|3159|m}} high, which forms the highest point of Fang Ridge. 
Descriptively named by Frank Debenham of British Antarctic Expedition (British Antarctic Expedition), 1910-13, who made a plane table survey of the vicinity in 1912.{{sfn|The Fang USGS}}

=== Millennium Peak===
{{coord|-77.506569|167.381754}}.
A peak rising to about {{convert|1800|m}} high on the northeast slope of Mount Erebus, {{convert|4|nmi}} east-northeast of the Erebus summit. 
So named by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN) in the millennium year 2000.{{sfn|Millennium Peak USGS}}

=== Coleman Peak===
{{coord|-77.488132|167.477419}}.
A peak rising to about {{convert|1600|m}} high on the northeast slope of Mount Erebus, {{convert|3.6|nmi}} east of the summit of Fang Ridge. Named by the New Zealand Geographic Board (NZGB) (2000) after Father Coleman, a New Zealand chaplain, who traveled to Antarctica many times with the United States Antarctic Program.{{sfn|Coleman Peak USGS}}

=== Te Puna Roimata Peak===
{{coord|-77.447407|167.561469}}.
A peak about {{convert|890|m}} high, located {{convert|1.5|nmi}} west of [[Terra Nova Glacier]] and {{convert|2|nmi}} south of [[Lewis Bay]] on the lower northeast slope of Mount Erebus. On November 28, 1979, an Air New Zealand McDonnell Douglas DC-10 aircraft on a scenic flight from Auckland crashed near this peak claiming the lives of 237 passengers from eight countries and a crew of 20. In 1987, a stainless steel memorial cross was erected west of the peak. 
Te Puna Roimata Peak (meaning spring of tears) was named by the New Zealand Geographic Board (NZGB) in 2000.{{sfn|Te Puna Roimata Peak USGS}}

==Southern features==
Features of the southern slopes of the mountain include:
===Hoopers Shoulder===
{{coord|77|32|S|166|53|E}}. 
An independent cone at an elevation of {{convert|1,800|m}} high on the west slopes of Mount Erebus. From McMurdo Sound it appears as a perfect pyramid of black rock, standing out as a splendid mark against the background of the ice and almost on a line from [[Cape Royds]] to the crater of Mount Erebus. 
The cone itself is about {{convert|100|m}} high high and is surrounded by a deep moat or ditch, caused by the sweeping action of strong winds. 
It was named by F. Debenham on the second ascent of Mount Erebus for F.J. Hooper, a steward of the British Antarctic Expedition, 1910-13. 
Hooper was one of the party making the second ascent.{{sfn|Alberts|1995|p=344}}

===Cashman Crags===
{{coord|-77.540504|166.850438}}
Two rock summits at about  {{convert|1500|m}} high on the west slope of Mount Erebus. 
The feature is  {{convert|0.6|nmi}} southwest of Hoopers Shoulder. 
At the suggestion of P.R. Kyle, named by United States [[Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names]] (US-ACAN) (2000) after Katherine V. Cashman, [[United States Antarctic Research Program]] (USARP) team member on Mount Erebus in 1978-79 while a Fulbright scholar at Victoria University of Wellington; worked again on Mount Erebus, 1988-89; later Professor of Geology, University of Oregon.{{sfn|Cashman Crags USGS}}

===Williams Cliff===
{{coord|77|35|S|166|47|E}}. 
A prominent rock cliff that stands out from the ice-covered southwest slopes of Mount Erebus, situated {{convert|6|nmi}} east of [[Cape Barne]]. 
This rock cliff was mapped by the British Antarctic Expedition under Scott, 1910-13, and identified simply as "Bold Cliff on maps resulting from that expedition. 
It was named Williams Cliff by the US-ACAN in 1964 to commemorate Richard T. Williams, who lost his life when his tractor broke through the ice at McMurdo Sound in January 1956.{{sfn|Alberts|1995|p=815}}

===Tech Crags===
{{coord|-77.613497|166.767316}}. 
A narrow broken ridge {{convert|2|nmi}} south of Williams Cliff on Ross Island. The feature rises to about {{convert|1000|m}} high and marks a declivity along the north flank of broad Turks Head Ridge, from which ice moves to Pukaru Icefalls. Named by US-ACAN (2000) after the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, known as New Mexico Tech. From 1981, many Tech students under the direction of Philip R. Kyle, have undertaken graduate research projects (thesis and dissertation) on Mount Erebus.{{sfn|Tech Crags USGS}}

===Three Sisters Cones===
{{coord|77|34|S|166|58|E}}. 
Three aligned cones at an elevation of about {{convert|1,800|m}} high on the southwest slopes of Mount Erebus. 
Named by members of the British Antarctic Expedition, 1910-13, under Scott.{{sfn|Alberts|1995|p=745}}
[[File:Operation-Deep-Freeze-Mt-Erebus-6851.jpg|Mount Erebus in December 1955|thumb]]

===Turks Head Ridge===
{{coord|77|38|S|166|49|E}}. 
A mostly ice-covered ridge extending from [[Turks Head]] for a few miles up the slopes of Mount Erebus. 
Mapped by the British Antarctic Expedition, 1910-13, under Scott and so named because of its association with Turks Head.{{sfn|Alberts|1995|p=764}}

===Esser Bluff===
{{coord|-77.638772|166.90775}}. 
A rock bluff rising to about {{convert|600|m}} high on the southeast margin of Turks Head Ridge. The bluff is {{convert|1.1|nmi}} east-northeast of Grazyna Bluff. At the suggestion of P.R. Kyle, named by US-ACAN (2000) after Richard Esser, a member of New Mexico Tech field parties on Mount Erebus in the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons; later a technician in the New Mexico Geochronology Lab at NM Tech, where he has dated many rocks from Antarctica.{{sfn|Esser Bluff USGS}}

===Grazyna Bluff===
{{coord|-77.642825|166.823222}}. 
A rock bluff rising to about {{convert|600|m}} high in the south part of Turks Head Ridge. 
The bluff is {{convert|1.5|nmi}} north-northeast of Turks Head. 
At the suggestion of P.R. Kyle, named by US-ACAN (2000) after Grazyna Zreda-Gostynska, who worked on Mount Erebus in 1989-90 as a member of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology team. A Ph.D. student at NMIMT, she completed her doctoral dissertation on the gas emissions from Mount Erebus.{{sfn|Grazyna Bluff USGS}}

===Glacier Ridge===
{{coord|-77.593989|167.276256}}. 
A broad north–south ridge, {{convert|4.5|nmi}} long and {{convert|0.8|nmi}} wide, on the south slopes of Mount Erebus. Completely ice covered, the ridge descends from about {{convert|2200|m}} high to {{convert|600|m}} high, terminating {{convert|2.1|nmi}} northwest of [[Tyree Head]]. 
In association with the names of expedition ships grouped on this island, named after United States Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) ''Glacier'', an icebreaker which for three decades, 1955-56 to 1986-87, supported scientific activity in Antarctica and Ross Sea on virtually an annual basis. 
From 1955-56, ''Glacier'' operated as a US Navy ship. 
Along with other Navy icebreakers, Glacier was transferred to the US Coast Guard fleet, June 1966, from which she operated until decommissioned, June 1987.{{sfn|Glacier Ridge USGS}}

==Glaciers==
[[File:Erebus Ice Tongue (ASTER).jpg|thumb|Erebus Glacier Tongue]]
===Fang Glacier===
{{coord|77|29|S|167|06|E}}. 
A glacier on the west side of Fang Ridge, separating the old and new craters of Mount Erebus. 
Charted by Frank Debenham of the BrAE, 1910–13, and named by him in association with Fang Ridge.{{sfn|Alberts|1995|p=232}}

===Erebus Glacier===
{{main|Erebus Glacier}} 
{{coord|77|41|S|167|00|E}}. 
A glacier draining the lower south slopes of Mount Erebus, Ross Island, and flowing west to [[Erebus Bay]] where it forms the floating Erebus Glacier Tongue. 
Named in association with Mount Erebus by the [[British National Antarctic Expedition]] (BrNAE), 1901–04, under Scott.{{sfn|Alberts|1995|p=224}}

===Erebus Glacier Tongue===
{{main|Erebus Glacier Tongue}} 
{{coord|77|42|S|166|40|E}}. 
The seaward extension of Erebus Glacier from Ross Island, projecting into Erebus Bay where part of it is floating. 
Charted and named by the BrNAE under Scott, 1901-04.{{sfn|Alberts|1995|p=224}}

[[File:Ponting Barne Glacier.jpg|thumb|Barne Glacier around 1910]]
===Barne Glacier===
{{coord|77|36|S|166|26|E}}. 
Steep glacier which descends from the west slopes of Mount Erebus and terminates on the west side of Ross Island between [[Cape Barne]] and [[Cape Evans]] where it forms a steep ice cliff. 
Discovered by the BrNAE, 1901–04, under Scott. 
Named by the British Antarctic Expedition, 1907–09, under Shackleton after nearby Cape Barne.{{sfn|Alberts|1995|p=46}}

==See also==
* [[List of volcanoes in Antarctica]]
* [[Lower Erebus Hut]] – home of MEVO

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Sources==
{{sfn whitelist |CITEREFMain_Crater_USGS |CITEREFInner_Crater_USGS |CITEREFSide_Crater_USGS |CITEREFWestern_Crater_USGS |CITEREFHelo_Cliffs_USGS |CITEREFSeismic_Bluff_USGS |CITEREFTower_Ridge_USGS |CITEREFCamp_Slope_USGS |CITEREFRobot_Gully_USGS |CITEREFCrystal_Slope_USGS |CITEREFNausea_Knob_USGS |CITEREFKrall_Crags_USGS |CITEREFTarr_Nunatak_USGS |CITEREFThe_Fang_USGS |CITEREFMillennium_Peak_USGS |CITEREFColeman_Peak_USGS |CITEREFTe_Puna_Roimata_Peak_USGS |CITEREFCashman_Crags_USGS |CITEREFTech_Crags_USGS |CITEREFEsser_Bluff_USGS |CITEREFGrazyna_Bluff_USGS |CITEREFGlacier_Ridge_USGS}}
{{refbegin}}
*{{citation|url=https://pubs.usgs.gov/fedgov/70039167/report.pdf |accessdate=2024-01-30  |edition=2
 |editor-last=Alberts |title=Geographic Names of the Antarctic |editor-first=Fred G.
 |publisher=[[United States Board on Geographic Names]]|year=1995}}  {{Include-USGov |agency=United States Board on Geographic Names}}
*{{cite gnis2 |type=antarid |id=17920
 |name=Camp Slope}}
*{{cite gnis2 |type=antarid |id=17828
 |name=Cashman Crags}}
*{{cite gnis2 |type=antarid |id=7838
 |name=Coleman Peak}}
*{{cite gnis2 |type=antarid |id=17912
 |name=Crystal Slope}}
*{{cite gnis2 |type=antarid |id=17831
 |name=Esser Bluff}}
*{{cite gnis2 |type=antarid |id=17731
 |name=Glacier Ridge}}
*{{cite gnis2 |type=antarid |id=17830
 |name=Grazyna Bluff}}
*{{cite gnis2 |type=antarid |id=17909
 |name=Helo Cliffs}}
*{{cite gnis2 |type=antarid |id=17914
 |name=Inner Crater}}
*{{cite gnis2 |type=antarid |id=17825
 |name=Krall Crags}}
*{{cite gnis2 |type=antarid |id=17913
 |name=Main Crater}}
*{{cite gnis2 |type=antarid |id=7839
 |name=Millennium Peak}}
*{{cite gvp | vn = 390020
  |name = Mount Erebus  | access-date = 2008-12-29 |ref={{harvid|Mount Erebus GVP}} }}
*{{cite gnis2 |type=antarid |id=17910
 |name=Nausea Knob}}
*{{cite gnis2 |type=antarid |id=17917
 |name=Robot Gully}}
*{{citation |url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RossIslandMap.jpg |accessdate=2024-01-30
 |title=Ross Island |publisher=USGS: United States Geological Survey |ref={{harvid|Ross Island USGS}} }}
*{{cite gnis2 |type=antarid |id=17911
 |name=Seismic Bluff}}
*{{cite gnis2 |type=antarid |id=17915
 |name=Side Crater}}
*{{cite gnis2 |type=antarid |id=17826
 |name=Tarr Nunatak}}
*{{cite gnis2 |type=antarid |id=7836
 |name=Te Puna Roimata Peak}}
*{{cite gnis2 |type=antarid |id=17829
 |name=Tech Crags}}
*{{cite gnis2 |type=antarid |id=7963
 |name=The Fang}}
*{{cite gnis2 |type=antarid |id=17919
 |name=Tower Ridge}}
*{{cite gnis2 |type=antarid |id=17916
 |name=Western Crater}}
{{refend}}
{{Include-USGov |agency=United States Geological Survey}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book
  | editor1 = LeMasurier, W. E.
  | editor2 = Thomson, J. W.
  | title = Volcanoes of the Antarctic Plate and Southern Oceans
  | publisher = [[American Geophysical Union]]
  | year = 1990
  | isbn = 0-87590-172-7 }}

* {{cite journal
   | author1 = Sims, Kenneth W. W.
   | author2 = Aster, Richard C.
   | author3 = Gaetani, Glenn
   | author4 = Blichert-Toft, Janne | author4-link=Janne Blichert-Toft
   | author5 = Phillips, Erin H.
   | author6 = Wallace, Paul J.
   | author7 = Mattioli, Glen S.
   | author8 = Rasmussen, Dan
   | author9 = Boyd, Eric S.
   | title =  Chapter 7.2 Mount Erebus
   | journal = Geological Society, London, Memoirs
   | issn = 0435-4052
   | eissn = 2041-4722
   | doi = 10.1144/m55-2019-8
   | year = 2021
| volume = 55
 | pages = 695–739
 | s2cid = 233522516
 | url = https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03328237/file/GSLBooks19-008_Final_Version_modified.pdf
 }}

* [https://sites.google.com/view/mevo/home?authuser=0 The Mount Erebus Volcano Observatory]
{{refend}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20041117073222/http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/earth/volcano/erebus-browse.jpg A picture from space of the lava lake at the summit of Mount Erebus]
* [http://earthfromspace.photoglobe.info/spc_erebus_glacier.html Erebus glacier tongue]
* [http://earthref.org/cgi-bin/erda.cgi?n=335 A panoramic view from the summit of Mount Erebus]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Jm5lZb0DOI Video of Mount Erebus erupting in 2005]
* [https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=6JmsuTQAAAAJ&hl List of published research about Mount Erebus, maintained by Mount Erebus Volcano Observatory]
{{Historic Sites and Monuments in Antarctica}}
{{wikivoyage-inline}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Ross Island}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Erebus, Mount}}
[[Category:Active volcanoes]]
[[Category:Extreme points of Earth]]
[[Category:Stratovolcanoes of New Zealand]]
[[Category:Volcanoes of Ross Island]]
[[Category:Hotspot volcanoes]]
[[Category:VEI-6 volcanoes]]
[[Category:Historic Sites and Monuments of Antarctica|Mount Erebus]]
[[Category:Lava lakes]]
[[Category:Pleistocene stratovolcanoes]]
[[Category:Holocene stratovolcanoes]]
[[Category:Stratovolcanoes of Antarctica]]
[[Category:Mount Erebus disaster]]