Big Ben (previously known as Big Ben Peak, Old Ben Mountain, Emperor William Peak and Kaiser Wilhelm-Berg) The Australian Antarctic Territory is a territorial claim unrecognised by most other countries, meaning that Big Ben is the highest mountain over which Australia has true sovereignty. A smaller volcanic headland, the Laurens Peninsula, extends about to the northwest, created by a separate volcano, Mount Dixon; its highest point is Anzac Peak, at .

Big Ben was first summited on 25 January 1965 by five members of the Southern Indian Ocean Expedition to Heard Island (sometimes referred to as the Patanela expedition).

Volcanic activity

thumb|left|Big Ben is the large massif to the bottom right (southeast) of this image of [[Heard Island, from NASA WorldWind]]

Big Ben formed about one million years ago. Volcanic activity at the cone has been known since 1881. An eruption occurred in 1993. Satellite images detected eruptions during 2000. On 2 February 2016, observations from Atlas Cove, northwest of Mawson Peak, showed plumes up to high over the volcano. Satellite images showed hotspots at various times from 2003 to 2008, and during September 2012. A further eruption was reported on 2 February 2016, and was recorded by scientists who happened to be in the area on an expedition. Big Ben does not endanger humans because Heard Island is uninhabited.

Sentinel-2 satellite imagery suggests another eruption has occurred in May 2023.

center|thumb|500x500px|Sentinel-2 image of Heard Island showing volcanic activity. Note that this is not a true color image, thermal activity has been highlighted using short wave infrared channels.

Big Ben is in a remote location, and without regular observation it is possible that eruptions have occurred at other times.

See also

  • List of volcanoes in Australia

References

  • Click here to see a map of Heard Island and McDonald Islands, including all major topographical features
  • Location and history of Heard Island
  • Australian Government (Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities) Heard Island and MacDonald Islands (HIMI) website