#MT EREBUS CRYSTALS FULL#

The crash of flight TE901 remains New Zealand's deadliest disaster followed closely by the Napier earthquake. The accident is exceptional in that, to this day, controversy exists over the true cause of the accident, and in the amount of responsibility, the airline and crew should assume. Forty four of the victims were not identified. The dead included 200 New Zealanders, 24 Japanese, 22 Americans, six British, two Canadians, one Australian, one French, and one Swiss. The aircraft altitude at the time of the collision was just 1465 feet (445 metres). On November 28, 1979, at 12:49pm NZDT, flight TE901 collided with Mount Erebus, Antarctica, killing all 237 passengers and 20 crew members. Petrology: Anorthoclase Tephriphonolite containing up to 10 cm-long anorthoclase feldspar crystalsĬharacteristic activity: Strombolian Eruptions (several times per day), Ash Eruptions (infrequent), Lava Flows (rare observed for the first time in 2000-2001) Erebus Volcano ObservatoryĮlevation of lava lake: ~3700 meters above sea level When the lake was exhumed in December 1985 it was 15 meters in diameter, and it grew to 20 meters in diameter by December 1986 (P. The summit crater lava lake was buried by ejecta between 13 September 1984 and October 1984. Kyle and others, in Smithsonian Institution, 1984). Earthquakes were felt, and glow and increased steaming were observed from McMurdo Sound (37 kilometers southwest of the volcano) (P. Larger-than-usual Strombolian explosions occurred in September to December 1984. It remained relatively constant until September 1984.

A seismic swarm in roughly the same area was recorded in October 1962 (Ueki and others, 1984 Kaminuma and others, 1985).Ī lava lake discovered in 1972 grew slowly until 1976, when it was circular, about 60 meters in diameter. A reported exception was increased fumarolic activity in April-September 1908 and on 17 June 1908, near Abbot Peak, 10 kilometers north-northeast of the summit of Mount Erebus (cited in Berninghausen and Neumann van Padang, 1960). Most historical activity has been confined to the younger caldera.

A roughly 5-kilometer-diameter caldera developed at the top of the modern cone, and it too has been largely filled (Berninghausen and Neumann van Padang, 1960 P. The modern cone of Mount Erebus, composed largely of anorthoclase phonolite (Kyle, 1977), has largely filled the older caldera, leaving only Fang Ridge (north of Mount Erebus) as a relic of the older cone. The basin is bounded to the west by the Transantarctic Mountains, with 40-kilometer-thick curst (Cooper and Davey, 1985 Fitzgerald and others, 1986).Īn older cone of Mount Erebus (Fang Volcano), composed largely of benmoreite, was partly destroyed by an unknown event, leaving a caldera of about 6-kilometers diameter. Mount Erebus is an intraplate volcano, situated at the southern end of the Terror Rift within the Victoria Land basin, a major sedimentary basin with over 12 kilometers of fill and underlain by 21-kilometer-thick crust.

#MT EREBUS CRYSTALS FULL#

This site is full of interesting and up to date information, including an activity log and live video from the volcano:įrom: Newhall and Dzurisin, 1988, Historical Unrest at Large Calderas of the World: USGS Bulletin 1855 Weather conditions and forecast for the McMurdo Stadion: When you camp, remember that this is Antarctica - leave absolutely no waste behind.

Region: Cape Evans on the west coast of Ross Island at the northern entrance to Erebus Bay Upper Erebus Hut was abandoned in 1984 due to high danger of volcanic bombs. The USAP Lower and Upper Erebus Huts are located approximately 1 km to the Northeast (3400 m) and Southeast (3612.5 m) respectively. Naturally, it's not a good idea to climb during a violent eruption. Since the mountain is permanently glaciated, the technical difficulties won't vary too much. Monthly mean temperatures at McMurdo Station range from -28° C (-18.4° F) in August to -3° C (26.6° F) in January. Summer is warmer and the Sun is above the horizon, so it is a preferable season. Special permits are required in order to enter this area. There is a protected area around the plane wreckage near the summit of Mount Erebus. Each nation's rules are not the same in the detail, though they are similar in the general principles. The granting of a permit is dependent on the visitors agreeing to adhere to certain rules and guidelines. One of the ways in which this protects Antarctica is by only allowing visitors to Antarctica by member nations as long as they are given a permit to do so. The Environmental Protocol of the Antarctic Treaty became law in 1998 after legislation in each of the member countries.

Mt erebus crystals