Neha Patil (Editor)

Queen Mary's Peak

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Age of rock
  
148 ± 8 ka

Elevation
  
2,062 m

Prominence
  
2,062 m

Listing
  
Ultra-prominent peak

Mountain type
  
Last eruption
  
2004

First ascent date
  
1817

Parent range
  
Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Queen Mary's Peak httpsc1staticflickrcom760726068701129bf77

Isolation
  
2,665 kilometres (1,656 mi)

Similar
  
Inaccessible Island, Nightingale Island, Diana's Peak, Mount Paget, Green Mountain

Queen mary s peak from the base tristan da cunha


Queen Mary's Peak is the summit of the island of Tristan da Cunha, in the South Atlantic Ocean. It has an elevation of 2,062 metres (6,765 ft) above sea level. It is named after Mary of Teck, the Queen consort of King George V. It is the highest point of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.

Contents

Map of Queen Mary's Peak, TDCU 1ZZ, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

The mountain is the peak of the massive shield volcano which forms the island. A 300 m (1,000 ft) wide summit crater caps the peak, and it contains a heart-shaped crater lake. This lake is normally frozen during the winter, and the upper slopes of the volcano are covered in snow.

The only recorded eruption began on 10 October 1961 from a vent on the north shore of the island, and continued into March 1962. The entire population of the island had to be evacuated and did not return until 1963.

Queen Mary's Peak was used by sailors on the route from Europe to the Indian Ocean and beyond as a navigational aid. In the 17th century the East India Company instructed captains to sail via Tristan. In 2004, Ellen MacArthur sighted the Peak on her record-breaking circumnavigation of the world.

Queen mary s peak from the base tristan da cunha


Climbing the peak

The first known attempt to climb the peak was in 1793 by the French naturalist Louis-Marie Aubert du Petit-Thouars, but this was without success. However, from this expedition hundreds of plants were collected and catalogued. In January 1817 the first successful climb was made to the peak. Today, Queen Mary's Peak makes a wonderful but steep climb and can take 5 to 10 hours, depending on the capability of the walker. The walk and climb is allowed only when accompanied by a local guide.

Queen Mary's Peak is the brand name for Tristan da Cunha island knitwear, which is exported to New Zealand.

Other projects

Media related to Queen Mary's Peak at Wikimedia Commons

References

Queen Mary's Peak Wikipedia