Mount Terror sounds like a place where people and animals are not close to each other, but this Antarctic volcano is not as terrible as its name suggests. From a geological point of view, the mountain itself is relatively mild. Located on the east side of Ross Island, it is a shield-shaped volcano composed of numerous pyroclastic cones and lava domes.
However, the volcano is now an extinct volcano , meaning scientists think it is unlikely to erupt again. The last known eruption occurred in the Pleistocene, which was a geological era, which lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago. In addition, the youngest igneous rock on this mountain has a history of nearly 1 million years. In contrast, the neighboring Erebus (Erebus) active volcano —that is considered the southernmost active volcano in the world—has a tumbling lava lake within its crater.
At an altitude of 3,262 meters (10,702 feet), the size of Mount Troll may be daunting for some people. The above sectional view depicts the surface height of the peak along the path near the peak. Altitude profile data were obtained on June 17, 2021 through the Advanced Terrain Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS) on NASA Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite 2 (ICESat-2).
Note that the left side of the section (south of the island) is slightly higher than the right side (north of the island). This is because the Ross ice shelf is higher than sea ice. For reference, the orbital path of satellite is located on a natural color image obtained by Operational Land Imager-2 (OLI-2) on Landsat 9 on November 8, 2021.
The height of Mount Troll is not enough to stop people from climbing its peaks and skiing its slopes. Even the higher Eribus Mountain of two peaks at an altitude of 3,794 meters (12,448 feet), attracts quite a few climbers. From a distance, the two tallest volcanoes on the island provide a scenic backdrop for scientists working at the southern end of the island, , McMurdo Station, and Scott Base.
The name of Troll Mountain has nothing to do with any of its physical properties. Instead, it was named in 1841 by Sir James Clarcross after his ship HMS Terror. The HMS Terror and HMS Erebus are both part of numerous polar voyages, including three Antarctic water expeditions between 1840 and 1843.
