ANTARCTICA’S HIGHEST VOLCANO
Mt Erebus is Antarctica’s highest ACTIVE volcano and site of the terrible Air New Zealand disaster in the 1970’s, but it is not Antarctica’s highest volcano.
That honour lies with Mount Sidley, a dormant volcano in Marie Byrd Land. It is not well known because the area where it is located is in the remote unclaimed territory of the seventh continent. Unlike the rest of Antarctica the unclaimed sector is not claimed by anyone (https://bit.ly/2MBDsWM).
At 4,285 metres Mt Sidley is Antarctica’s highest volcano and is part of the Executive Committee Range. This snow covered peak has a 5 kilometers wide caldera (crater) and sheer walled 1200 metre deep amphitheater, the result of an explosive eruption 4.7 million years ago.
Very close to Mount Sidley lies the 2500 meters deep Bentley Subglacial Trench, the deepest point on earth not covered by sea.
Rear Admiral Byrd discovered Mt Sidley on a flight in 1934. He named the mountain after Mabelle Sidley, the daughter of a contributor to the Byrd Antarctic Expedition (William Horlick of Horlick’s malted milk drink fame).
The volcano was first climbed in 1990 by New Zealander Bill Atkinson but has only had a handful of climbs since then. It is possible to go on an expedition there and various adventure travel companies can take you (e.g. Furtenbach Adventures and others) but like all travel to Antarctica, it’s not cheap (around $70,000 AUD for a 19 day expedition).
Still, you’ll be one of the few people on Earth to ever see it, let alone climb it. That probably has bragging value 🙂