Mount Waesche

Coordinates: 77°10′S 127°00′W / 77.167°S 127.000°W / -77.167; -127.000
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Mount Waesche
Topographic map of Mounts Sidley and Waesche
Highest point
Elevation3,292 m (10,801 ft)[1]
Coordinates77°10′S 127°00′W / 77.167°S 127.000°W / -77.167; -127.000[1]
Geography
Parent rangeExecutive Committee Range
Geology
Mountain typeShield volcano
Volcanic fieldMarie Byrd Land Volcanic Province
Last eruptionUnknown[2]

Mount Waesche is a mountain of volcanic origin at the southern end of the Executive Committee Range in Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica. It is 3,292 metres (10,801 ft) high, and stands 20 kilometres (12 mi) southwest of Mount Sidley, the highest volcano in Antarctica. The mountain lies southwest of the Chang Peak caldera and is largely covered with snow and glaciers, but there are rock exposures on the southern and southwestern slopes.

The volcano may have been active as late as the

Seismic activity
has been recorded both from the volcano and from an area south of it and might reflect ongoing volcanic activity.

Name and research history

It was discovered by the United States Antarctic Service expedition on a flight on December 15, 1940, and named for Vice Admiral Russell R. Waesche, United States Coast Guard, member of the Antarctic Service Executive Committee.[3] Field studies took place in 1999-2000 and 2018-2019.[4]

Geography and geomorphology

Mount Waesche lies in Marie Byrd Land, one of the most inaccessible areas of Antarctica. It is one of 18 volcanoes in that region, which were active from the Oligocene to recent times. The origin of volcanic activity there has been correlated to the activity of a mantle plume underneath the crust. The region also includes the highest volcano in Antarctica, Mount Sidley, which reaches 4,191 metres (13,750 ft) height.[5] There may be as many as 138 volcanoes buried underneath the ice.[6]

The volcano is 3,292 metres (10,801 ft) high.

scoria cones[14] and have erupted cinder, lava and volcanic bombs.[12] A 0.5 metres (1 ft 8 in) long[7] large radial dyke projects from Mount Waesche[15] and is the only part of the edifice where hyaloclastic tuff crops out.[7] The Bennet Saddle separates Mount Waesche from Mount Sidley[8] 20 kilometres (12 mi) to the northeast.[2]

Mount Waesche is largely covered with snow and features several alpine glaciers as well as a blue-ice area[a][12] within the West Antarctic Ice Sheet;[18] this blue-ice area has an extent of 8 by 10 kilometres (5.0 mi × 6.2 mi) and a number of tephra layers crop out from the ice. Most of these tephra layers come from Mount Waesche, but some originate at Mount Takahe and Mount Berlin[19] and their age ranges from 118,000 years to Holocene.[20] Two particularly conspicuous tephra layers from Mount Waesche are known as the "Great Wall" and "Yellow Wall".[21]

The volcano emerges through

aeolian erosion has taken place on the volcano.[14]

Geology

Mount Waesche is part of the

Seismic activity recorded in 2010 and 2011 south of Mount Waesche may indicate ongoing magmatic activity south of the youngest volcano.[31] Chang Peak and Mount Waesche appear to be located outside of the Executive Committee Range volcanic lineament.[32]

The volcano erupted

alkali feldspar, ilmenite and quartz and at Mount Waesche olivine, plagioclase and titanaugite.[7] Granulite and pyroxenite xenoliths have also been found.[33] Despite their proximity, Mount Sidley and Mount Waesche have erupted distinctly different rocks.[34] Unusually for volcanoes in Marie Byrd Land, the chemistry of volcanic rocks at Mount Waesche appears to have changed over time.[35] The total volume of rocks is about 160 cubic kilometres (38 cu mi).[36]

Eruption history

The development of Mount Waesche began in the

potassium-argon dating.[2] A major pulse of lava flow emissions appears to have occurred 200,000-100,000 years ago[40] and an older episode 500,000-300,000 years ago.[14]

The volcano was active during the Holocene[41] and may be a source of tephra found in ice cores.[42] A layer of volcanic ash was identified in the region through radar data and is about 8,000 years old; it probably originated at Mount Waesche.[43] The volcano today is considered to be "probably active" or "possibly active".[44] A magmatic system may exist 55 kilometres (34 mi) south of Mount Waesche at 25–40 kilometres (16–25 mi) depth below the ice.[45] Present-day seismic activity has been recorded at Mount Waesche, but it might be either volcanic/tectonic or caused by ice movement.[46] Future eruptions are unlikely to have any impact beyond the surroundings of the volcano.[47]

See also

Notes

  1. BP eruption of Mount Takahe[16] and some tephras have been attributed to Mount Berlin, about 300 kilometres (190 mi) away from Mount Waesche.[17] Volcanic bombs attributed to Mount Waesche are also found.[18]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e LeMasurier et al. 1990, p. 151.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Waesche". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution.
  3. ^ "Mount Waesche". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  4. ^ Wilch, McIntosh & Panter 2021, p. 519.
  5. ^ a b Smellie et al. 1990, p. 353.
  6. PMID 29934507
    .
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h LeMasurier et al. 1990, p. 208.
  8. ^ a b c LeMasurier et al. 1990, p. 205.
  9. ^ Wilch, McIntosh & Panter 2021, p. 549.
  10. ^ a b c d e f Smellie et al. 1990, p. 354.
  11. ^ a b c Dunbar et al. 2021, p. 762.
  12. ^ a b c d e Ackert et al. 1999, p. 277.
  13. ^ a b c Paulsen & Wilson 2010, p. 409.
  14. ^ a b c Dunbar et al. 2021, p. 767.
  15. ^ LeMasurier et al. 1990, p. 204.
  16. .
  17. .
  18. ^ a b Dunbar et al. 2021, p. 760.
  19. ^ Dunbar et al. 2021, p. 770.
  20. ^ Dunbar et al. 2021, p. 776.
  21. ^ Dunbar et al. 2021, p. 772.
  22. ^ a b Ackert et al. 2013, p. 27.
  23. ^ Ackert et al. 1999, p. 276.
  24. .
  25. ^ Ackert et al. 2013, p. 30.
  26. ^ Ackert et al. 1999, p. 279.
  27. ^ a b Ackert et al. 2013, p. 32.
  28. ^ Wilch, McIntosh & Panter 2021, p. 550.
  29. ^ LeMasurier & Rex 1989, p. 7225.
  30. ^ LeMasurier & Rex 1989, p. 7227.
  31. ^ Lough et al. 2013, p. 1031.
  32. ^ Paulsen & Wilson 2010, p. 410.
  33. ISSN 0024-4937
    .
  34. ^ LeMasurier et al. 1990, p. 163.
  35. ^ LeMasurier et al. 1990, p. 233.
  36. ^ Wilch, McIntosh & Panter 2021, p. 522.
  37. S2CID 140169523
    .
  38. ^ LeMasurier et al. 1990, p. 193.
  39. ^ LeMasurier et al. 1990, p. 210.
  40. ^ Dunbar et al. 2021, p. 765.
  41. ^ LeMasurier et al. 1990, p. 5.
  42. ^ LeMasurier et al. 1990, p. 160.
  43. ^ Lough et al. 2013, p. 1033.
  44. ISSN 0016-7606
    .
  45. ^ Wilch, McIntosh & Panter 2021, p. 516.
  46. .
  47. ^ Dunbar et al. 2021, p. 781.

Sources

Bibliography