Mount Belinda, Active stratovolcano on Montagu Island, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.
Mount Belinda is an active stratovolcano on Montagu Island in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. Rising approximately 1,370 meters, it forms the highest peak of the South Sandwich Islands in the Scotia Sea.
The volcano was first detected as active in October 2001 through satellite thermal monitoring systems, marking its first recorded eruption. Subsequent observations have documented ongoing volcanic activity and multiple eruptive episodes in the years following.
The name was given in 1930 by the Discovery Investigations staff aboard RRS Discovery II, honouring Belinda Kemp, daughter of Stanley W. Kemp, Director of Research for the Discovery Committee from 1924 to 1936. The island itself has never been inhabited or occupied, and the South Sandwich Islands are claimed by both the United Kingdom and Argentina.
Montagu Island has never been inhabited or occupied, so there is no infrastructure, landing stage or shelter on its coast. The island lies in the Scotia Sea, and the volcano's summit cone rises to 1,370 m in the centre of the island. Fieldwork is limited to research expeditions; the 2001–2007 eruption was tracked by satellite thermal monitoring.
The 2005 lava flow was about 90 metres wide and moved at probably several metres per second, spreading northeast from the vent before an arête turned it due north. It widened the northern coast of Montagu Island. Scientists studied the lava-ice interaction as an analogue for processes thought to occur on Mars.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,034 contributors worldwide.