Mawson Peak
mountain peak, Australia
Quick Summary
Mawson Peak is the highest point on Heard Island, an Australian external territory in the southern Indian Ocean. It rises to 9,005 feet (2,745 meters) on Big Ben Mountain. Much of Heard Island is covered in snow and ice. The island was discovered in 1833 and later named after Captain John J. Heard. It is now a protected subantarctic wilderness and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The peak is named in honor of Sir Douglas Mawson, an Australian geologist and explorer renowned for his Antarctic expeditions.123
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