The Billboard

The Billboard (77°4′S 145°40′W) is a massive granite monolith in the Sarnoff Mountains of the Ford Ranges of Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica, standing just west of Mount Rea between Arthur Glacier and Boyd Glacier. It was discovered in November 1934 by a Second Byrd Antarctic Expedition (1933–35) sledge party under Paul Siple, and is so named because of its form and appearance with vertical faces rising above the continental ice.

This article is about the landmark. For the magazine, see Billboard (magazine). For other uses, see Billboard (disambiguation).

The Billboard
View from a helicopter of the Billboard looking northwest.
Highest point
Elevation	Altitudes by barometers calibrated by differential GPS. (ref. 3)
Geography
Location	Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica
Geology
Age of rock	Cretaceous
Climbing
First ascent	December 8, 1999. Mike Roberts, Louis Sass, Seth Cowdery, John Stone, Christine Siddoway

The summit was first visited by Bruce Luyendyk and Kuno Lecha by helicopter in January 1993 during expedition GANOVEX VII. In 1998–99, Christine Siddoway led a geological party from Colorado College that reached the summit by climbing a west route.[1]

Geology

The Billboard is composed of Cretaceous Byrd Coast granite.[2] It is topped by an erosion surface that reaches an elevation of 793 metres (2,602 ft), which is about 700 metres (2,300 ft) above the outlet glacier below.[3] The surface lacks glacial erosion features; however erratics found on the surface provide evidence of overriding by cold-based glacier ice. Features of prolonged surface weathering in a sub-aerial environment are sheeting and weathering pits.[4][3]

References

1. Christine S. Siddoway, 2018
2. Wade, F. A., C. A. Cathey, and J. B. Oldham. 1977. Reconnaissance geologic map of the Boyd Glacier quadrangle, Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica, Map A-6. Reston, VA: U. S. Antarctic Research Program.
3. Sugden, D.E., Balco, G., Cowdery, S.G., Stone, J.O., and III, L.C.S., 2005, Selective glacial erosion and weathering zones in the coastal mountains of Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica: Geomorphology, v. 67, p. 317-334
4. Stone, J.O., Balco, G.A., Sugden, D.E., Caffee, M.W., Sass III, L.C., Cowdery, S.G., and Siddoway, C., 2003, Holocene Deglaciation of Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica: Science, v. 299, p. 99-102

 This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Geological Survey document: "The Billboard". (content from the Geographic Names Information System)