Mimas Peak

Mimas Peak (71°56′S 69°36′W / 71.933°S 69.600°W / -71.933; -69.600Coordinates: 71°56′S 69°36′W / 71.933°S 69.600°W / -71.933; -69.600) is a sharp conspicuous peak, rising to about 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) west of the head of Saturn Glacier and 9 nautical miles (17 km) west of the Dione Nunataks in the southeast part of Alexander Island, Antarctica. It was first seen and photographed from the air by Lincoln Ellsworth on November 23, 1935, and mapped from these photos by W.L.G. Joerg. The peak was sighted from a distance in 1949 by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS) and roughly positioned. It was named by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee for its association with nearby Saturn Glacier, Mimas being one of the satellites of the planet Saturn. The peak and surrounding area were first mapped in detail from air photos taken by the Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition 1947–48, by D. Searle of the FIDS in 1960.[1]

In December 2012, Hamish Pritchard of the British Antarctic Survey became the first person to ascend to the summit of Mimas Peak. Rock samples were collected by Pritchard and his companions during the ascent, he concluded that these summits must have emerged from retreating ice sheets hundreds of years ago.

References

  1. ↑ "Mimas Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2013-10-21.

External links

 This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Geological Survey document "Mimas Peak" (content from the Geographic Names Information System).


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