Antarctica just doesn't have a couple of mountains, it has thousands of mountains, and 42 mountain ranges.
Some of them have only recently been found.
Most of them have never been climbed.
The picture above is from work done by the British Antarctic Survey and NASA's Operation Ice Bridge programme. It is a collection of three data sets, surface elevation, ice thickness and bedrock topography.
The efforts to find out the topography of Antarctica is very important for scientists studying ice flow movements as well as calculating how much ice is reaching the oceans, and fresh water melt. They can predict how a glacier and ice sheet will behave with changes in air temperature and snow accumulation. What happens in Antarctica can effect the rest of the world, from changing sea salinity to a raise in sea levels.
Ernest Shackletons team were the first to cross these mountains in 1911 on the way to the South Pole. These mountains are a lot older than the other mountains in Antarctica. They are mainly made up of sedimentary layers on a basement of granites. The Trans Antarctic Mountains have some of unusual sights in Antarctica- landscapes with no snow and ice.
Some really interesting mountains:
Vinson Massif
Vinson Massif is the highest mountain of Antarctica, lying in the Sentinel Range of the Ellsworth Mountains, near the base of the Antarctic Peninsula. The massif is about 21 km long and 13 km wide. It was first climbed in 1966. Vision Massif is part of the Seven Summits (challenge to climb the highest mountain on every continent) Its a popular mountain to climb that is not considered too difficult, but an expedition out there would set you back about £20,000.
Mount Sidley
Mount Sidley is the highest dormant volcano in Antarctica, a member of the Volcanic Seven Summits, with a summit elevation of 4,285 metres. It was first climbed in 1990. Although its a member of the Volcanic Seven Summits (the highest volcano on each of earths seven continents) its not a very popular mountain, or even that well known because of how remote and difficult it is to get to.
Ulvetanna Peak
Ulvetanna Peak is a sharp peak (2930m) in Queen Maud Land, Antarctica. It was first climbed in February 1994. The peak is one of the most demanding on the continent and its mile-long north east ridge has been described as one of “the last great climbs”
In 2010, Valery Rozov made a base jump from its peak....
Dome A
Dome A (Dome Argus) is an ice dome on the Antarctic Plateau, located 1,200 kilometres (750 mi) inland. It is thought to be the coldest naturally occurring place on Earth, with temperatures believed to get close to −90 °C. It is the highest ice feature in Antarctica, consisting of a dome or eminence at 4,091 metres. Beneath Dome A, buried in over 2400m of ice is the Gamburtsev Mountain Range. Its also one of the driest places on earth, only receiving 1-3cm of snow each year.
Further Reading-
NASA article on Bedrock 2
An article from the National Geographic explaining research into the formation of some Antarctic mountains- Ghost Mountains
The mystery behind the Gamburtsev Mountains.
List of Antarctic mountain ranges.
