Mount Erebus

Description

Ross Island is a volcanic island, with twin volcanoes, Mount Erebus and Mount Terror (10,750 ft.), rising from the icy Ross Sea off the coast of Antarctica. Erebus is the higher of the two, and unlike Terror, is still active. An ice-covered saddle separates the two mountains, Erebus to the West, Terror to the East. The first Erebus climbers in 1908 have documented their amazement in experiencing Erebus boil and steam above the icefields. These first climbers approached the summit from the west. A second ascent followed in 1912 from the north, but time on the summit was ended prematurely by a minor eruption. The most recent eruption was in 1995. The explorer J. Clark Ross, for whom Ross Island and Ross Ice Shelf were named, bestowed the name Erebus on both his ship and the mountain. The name Erebus in Greek Mythology refers to the place of darkness, through which the spirits of the dead must journey en route to Hades.