Mawson Peak


Mawson Peak is an active volcanic summit of the Big Ben massif on Heard Island, an external Australian territory in the Indian Ocean.
With an elevation of, it is the third highest peak in any state or territory of Australia, higher than the Mount Kosciuszko, and surpassed only by the Mount McClintock and the Mount Menzies claimed in the Australian Antarctic Territory. The peak erupted as recently as April 2013 and February 2016.

Discovery and naming

Mawson Peak was named by the 1948 ANARE Heard Island Expedition after the Australian geologist and explorer Sir Douglas Mawson, the leader of BANZARE 1929-31, who visited the island in NovemberDecember 1929.
On 20 February 1950, whilst aboard HMAS Lebuan, Thomas Gratton Young OAM observed and recorded in the ship's log that Mawson Peak was an active volcano.
The 1964-65 expedition to Heard Island was led by Major Warwick Deacock, with the schooner Patanela skippered by Major Bill Tilman. They succeeded in climbing Mawson Peak for the first time, which is the highest point on this remote island.

Citations