Big Ben is the large massif to the bottom right (southeast) of this image of Heard Island, from NASA World Wind.

Big Ben is a volcanic massif that dominates the geography of Heard Island. It is a composite cone with a diameter of approximately 25 kilometres. Its highest peak is Mawson Peak, one of only two active volcanoes in Australian territory which is 2,745 m above sea level. Much of it is covered by ice, including 14 major glaciers which descend from Big Ben to the sea.

Big Ben is the highest mountain in Australia.

A smaller volcanic headland, the Laurens Peninsula, extends approximately 10 km to the northwest, created by a separate volcano, Mount Dixon; its highest point is Anzac Peak, at 715 m.

See also

• List of volcanoes in Australia

References

• LeMasurier, W. E.; Thomson, J. W. (eds.) (1990). Volcanoes of the Antarctic Plate and Southern Oceans. American Geophysical Union, 512 pp. ISBN 0-87590-172-7. 

External links

• Location and history of Heard Island

This sub-antarctic islands location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Coordinates: 53°06′30″S 73°31′30″E / -53.10833, 73.525