earth science

Mount Bird

Mount Bird is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Mount Bird rather than just read about it. In short: Mount Bird (77°17′S 166°43′E) is a 1,765 metres (5,791 ft) high shield volcano standing about 7 nautical miles (13 km; 8.1 mi) south of Cape Bird, the northern extremity of Ross Island. It was mapped by the British National Antarctic Expedition, 1901–04, under Robert Falcon Scott, and apparently named by them after Cape Bird.

Key takeaways

Mount Bird belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Mount Bird to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Mount Bird from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Mount Bird (77°17′S 166°43′E) is a 1,765 metres (5,791 ft) high shield volcano standing about 7 nautical miles (13 km; 8.1 mi) south of Cape Bird, the northern extremity of Ross Island. It was mapped by the British National Antarctic Expedition, 1901–04, under Robert Falcon Scott, and apparently named by them after Cape Bird.

Geography Mount Bird was originally a separate island, which through volcanic activity has become a rounded peninsula on the northwestern tip of Ross Island. At its southernmost point, where it is connected with the rest of the island by a 10-kilometre (6.2 mi) wide isthmus, a 500-metre (1,600 ft) high pass, Bird Pass, separates the bulk of Mount Bird from the northern slopes of Mount Erebus. The peninsula is flanked to the west and east by two large and frequently ice-bound bays, Wohlschlag Bay in the west and Lewis Bay in the east.

Geology Mount Bird is a basaltic shield volcano that was active from 4.6 to 3.8 million years ago. On the flanks of the volcano there are poorly exposed basalt scoria cones, and phonolite domes and flows. The coastal cliffs display the shield's thick stack of basalt lava flows.

Glaciers and streams Several glaciers or meltwater streams flow from the mountain to the sea.

Fitzgerald Stream 77°16′S 166°21′E. A stream between Fitzgerald Hill and Inclusion Hill on the lower ice-free west slopes of Mount Bird, flowing to McMurdo Sound across McDonald Beach. Explored by the NZGSAE, 1958-59, and named by the NZ-APC for E.B. Fitzgerald, deputy leader of the expedition.

Shell Glacier 77°16′S 166°25′E. A western lobe of the Mount Bird icecap. It descends steeply in the valley north of Trachyte Hill and Harrison Bluff in the center of the ice-free area on the lower western slopes of Mount Bird. Mapped and so named by the New Zealand Geological Survey Antarctic Expedition (NZGSAE), 1958–59, because of the marine shell content of the moraines.

Harrison Stream 77°17′S 166°24′E. A small stream flowing west between Trachyte and Cinder Hills to the north end of Romanes Beach. Mapped by the NZGSAE, 1958-59. Named by the New Zealand Antarctic Place-Names Committee (NZ-APC) for J. Harrison, mountaineer-assistant with the expedition.

Wilson Stream 77°17′S 166°26′E. A meltwater stream which flows from the ice-free lower west slopes of Mount Bird, to the south of Alexander Hill, and over steep sea cliffs into Wohlschlag Bay. Mapped by the NZGSAE, 1958-59, and named by the NZ-APC for J. Wilson, mountaineer assistant with the expedition.

Quaternary Icefall 77°18′S 166°30′E. A western lobe of the Mount Bird icecap, descending steeply into Wohlschlag Bay 1 nautical mile (1.9 km; 1.2 mi) south of Cinder Hill. Mapped and so named by the NZGSAE, 1958-59, because of the Quaternary glacial period marine shells carried by the glacier and deposited in terminal moraines.

Endeavour Piedmont Glacier 77.406111°S 166.710398°E / -77.406111; 166.710398. A piedmont glacier, 6 nautical miles (11 km; 6.9 mi) long and 2 nautical miles (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) wide, between the southwest part of Mount Bird and Micou Point. In association with the names of expedition ships grouped on this island, named after HMNZS Endeavour, tanker/supply ship which for at least 10 seasons, 1962-63 to 1971-72, transported bulk petroleum products and cargo to Scott Base and McMurdo Station on Ross Island.

Northern features

Inland features around the north of Mount Bird include:

Takahe Nunatak 77.21506°S 166.803196°E / -77.21506; 166.803196. The northern of two similar nunataks that lie 0.3 nautical miles (0.56 km; 0.35 mi) apart and 3.3 nautical miles (6.1 km; 3.8 mi) north-northeast of Mount Bird in northwest Ross Island. It rises to about 1,100 metres (3,600 ft) high and, like Kakapo Nunatak is one of several features near Mount Bird assigned the native name of a New Zealand mountain bird. Named by New Zealand Geographic Board (NZGB), 2000.

Kakapo Nunatak 77.220489°S 166.795824°E / -77.220489; 166.795824. The southern of two similar nunataks that lie 0.3 nautical miles (0.56 km; 0.35 mi) apart and 3.3 nautical miles (6.1 km; 3.8 mi) north-northeast of Mount Bird in northwest Ross Island. It rises to about 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) high and, like Takahe Nunatak close NE, appears to be part of an ice-covered crater rim. Kakapo Nunatak is one of several features near Mount Bird assigned the native name of a New Zealand mountain bird. Named by New Zealand Geographic Board (NZGB), 2000.

Norman Crag 77.233769°S 166.746487°E / -77.233769; 166.746487. A rugged nunatak 2.2 nautical miles (4.1 km; 2.5 mi) north of the summit of Mount Bird. The feature has a divided summit area and rises to over 1,400 metres (4,600 ft). Named by New Zealand Geographic Board (NZGB) (2000) after Bob Norman.

Ruru Crests 77.240196°S 166.634762°E / -77.240196; 166.634762. Two parallel rock ridges 2.2 nautical miles (4.1 km; 2.5 mi) northwest of the summit of Mount Bird. The feature rises to about 1,400 metres (4,600 ft). It is one of several landmarks near Mount Bird assigned the native name of a New Zealand mountain bird. Named by New Zealand Geographic Board (NZGB), 2000.

Nash Peak

77.252198°S 166.739187°E / -77.252198; 166.739187. A prominent peak 1.4 nautical miles (2.6 km; 1.6 mi) north of the Mount Bird summit in northwest Ross Island. The feature rises to over 1,600 metres (5,200 ft). Named by the New Zealand Geographic Board (NZGB) (2000) after Sir Walter Nash, who was deeply involved in promoting New Zealand's role in Antarctica and who signed the Antarctic Treaty for New Zealand as Prime Minister.

Wong Peak 77.251495°S 166.834328°E / -77.251495; 166.834328 A peak 1.6 nautical miles (3.0 km; 1.8 mi) northeast of the summit of Mount Bird in northwest Ross Island. The feature rises to over 1,600 metres (5,200 ft). Named by New Zealand Geographic Board (NZGB) (2000) after Frank Wong.

Beeby Peak 77.257089°S 166.907954°E / -77.257089; 166.907954. A peak 2.4 nautical miles (4.4 km; 2.8 mi) east-northeast of the summit of Mount Bird in northwest Ross Island. The feature rises to about 1,400 metres (4,600 ft). Named by New Zealand Geographic Board (NZGB) (2000) after Chris Beeby.

Western Features Features near the coast to the west of Mount Bird include, from north to south,

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Mount Bird

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Mount Bird claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Mount Bird before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Mount Bird ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Mount Bird

In research: Mount Bird appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Mount Bird in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Mount Bird is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Peninsulas of the Ross Dependency, Pliocene shield volcanoes, Polygenetic shield volcanoes, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Mount Bird outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Mount Bird in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Mount Bird means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Mount Bird out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mount Bird in simple terms?

Why does Mount Bird matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Mount Bird?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Mount Bird.