Vinson massif

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Vinson massif
Satellite image of the Vinson massif (center)

Satellite image of the Vinson massif (center)

Highest peak Mount Vinson ( 4892  m )
location Ellsworthland , West Antarctica
part of Sentinel Range , Ellsworth Mountains
Vinson massif (Antarctica)
Vinson massif
Coordinates 78 ° 35 ′  S , 85 ° 25 ′  W Coordinates: 78 ° 35 ′  S , 85 ° 25 ′  W
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The Vinson massif is a large massif in the west Antarctic Ellsworthland . It rises in the southern section of the main ridge of the Sentinel Range in the Ellsworth Mountains . The massif is around 22 km long and 13 km wide. The highest point is Mount Vinson , with 4892  m the highest mountain in Antarctica .

The massif was discovered in January 1958 on a reconnaissance flight of the United States Navy from Byrd Station . The Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names named the massif in 1961 after the American politician Carl Vinson (1883–1981), chairman of the Committee for Naval Affairs and later the Committee for Armed Operations in the United States Congress , whose commitment was supported by the support of the US Government for Antarctic Exploration between 1935 and 1961.

  • Topographic map sheet Vinson Massif from 1961, 2010-2014 labeled with later names

  • Mount Vinson seen from the northwest

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