Mount Rittmann
Volcano in Antarctica / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Mount Rittmann is a volcano in Antarctica. Discovered in 1988–1989 by an Italian expedition, it was named after the volcanologist Alfred Rittmann (1893–1980). It features a 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) or 8 by 5 kilometres (5.0 mi × 3.1 mi) wide caldera which crops out from underneath the Aviator Glacier. The volcano was active during the Pliocene and into the Holocene, including large explosive eruptions; a major eruption occurred in 1254 CE and deposited tephra over much of Antarctica. Currently, the volcano is classified as dormant.
Mount Rittmann | |
---|---|
Highest point | |
Elevation | 2,600 m (8,500 ft)[1] |
Coordinates | 73.45°S 165.5°E / -73.45; 165.5[1] |
Naming | |
Etymology | Volcanologist Alfred Rittmann |
Geography | |
Parent range | Mountaineer Range |
Geology | |
Age of rock | Pliocene |
Mountain type | Volcano |
Volcanic belt | McMurdo Volcanic Group |
Last eruption | >1254 CE |
The volcano is fumarolically active. The geothermal activity keeps part of the caldera ice-free; mosses and various microorganisms grow on this ice-free terrain. Such an occurrence of mosses on fumarolically active volcanoes of Antarctica is limited to Mount Rittmann, Mount Melbourne and Mount Erebus and has led to efforts to establish a protected area on the volcano.