Mount pub
| Mount pub | ||
|---|---|---|
 View from the rim into the crater |
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| location | South Australia | |
| Coordinates | 37 ° 56 '25 " S , 140 ° 44' 15" O | |
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| rock | volcanic origin | |
| Age of the rock | 5,000 years | |
Mount Schank is an extinct Maar - volcano in the southeast of South Australia near the city of Mount Gambier . It was named in 1800 by James Grant, an officer in the British Royal Navy , after Admiral John Schank , the designer of his ship, HMS Lady Nelson .
The origin of Mount Schank, like that of nearby Mount Gambier, is traced back to the East Australia Hotspot . Like Mount Gambier, the volcano has a Holocene age of around 5,000 years. The volcano is a simply built ash cone about a hundred meters high, and the base of the crater does not extend below the water table, so that a crater lake like Mount Gambier is not formed here.
Next to the main volcano there are two smaller craters as well as some lava flows created by the volcanic eruption . The northern crater is round and has a diameter of 300 m, the older southern crater is 200 m in size and is partially overlapped by the northern one. The nearby lava shows structures that are typical for a rapid cooling of the lava on contact with sea water. These structures suggest that the area was covered by water during the eruption - unsurprisingly, since the volcano is now only 15 km north of the seashore. Mount Schank is part of the Newer Volcanics Province , the youngest volcanic field in Australia .
The local Aborigines from the Bunganditj tribe witnessed the eruptions of Mount Schank. The story of the creation of the volcanic landscape was recorded in 1880 by Cristina Smith, who lived there. The story tells of the giant Craitbul, who was looking for a place to live with his wife and two children. They made camp at Mount Muirhead and Mount Schank, but were driven away by a moaning bird spirit. They fled to Mount Gambier, leaving their smoking ovens (the volcanoes) behind. After some time had passed, water came and filled the stoves, put out the fire and drove away the spirit. Craitbul and his family continued to live in a cave on the flank of Mount Gambier.
Mount Schank is accessible from the road between Mount Gambier and Port MacDonnell , approximately 12 km south of Mount Gambier. There is a small parking lot and picnic tables at the foot of the mountain. The path to the crater rim is equipped with steps to make the short but steep ascent easier. The way over the crater rim itself is not difficult, but can be dangerous in windy weather.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Information board at the foot of Mount Schank, set up by Primary Industries and Resources, Government of South Australia .
Web links
- New volcanic province in the Global Volcanism Program of the Smithsonian Institution (English)
- Mt. Bar at Oregonstate