Mount Vinson (4892 m) Vinson Massif, Antarctica

Vinson Massif is the highest mountain of Antarctica, lying in the Sentinel Range of the Ellsworth Mountains, which stand above the Ronne Ice Shelf near the base of the Antarctic Peninsula. The massif is located about 1200 km from the South Pole and is about 21 km long and 13 km wide. At 4892 meters the highest point is Mount Vinson, which was named in 2006 after Carl Vinson, long-time member of the U.S. Congress from the state of Georgia.

Vinson Massif was first seen in 1958 and first climbed in 1966. An expedition in 2001 was the first to climb via the Eastern route, and also took GPS measurements of the height of the peak. As of February 2010, 1400 climbers have attempted to reach the top of Mount Vinson. The climate on Vinson is generally controlled by the polar ice cap high-pressure system, creating predominantly stable conditions but, as in any polar climate, high winds and snowfall are a possibility. Though the annual snowfall on Vinson is low, high winds can cause base camp accumulations up to 46 centimetres in a year. During the summer season, November through January, there are 24 hours of sunlight. While the average temperature during these months is −30 °C, the intense sun will melt snow on dark objects. Over successive years, the limited amount of snow that falls on Vinson Massif compacts and is transformed into ice, forming glaciers. These glaciers follow the topography and flow down the mountains valleys.

/Wikipedia.org/

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