Rittmann, Mount

Mount Rittmann is a volcano in Antarctica. Discovered in 1988–1989 by an Italian expedition, it was named after the volcanologist Alfred Rittmann (1893–1980). It features a 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) or 8 by 5 kilometres (5.0 mi × 3.1 mi) wide caldera which crops out from underneath the Aviator Glacier. The volcano was active during the Pliocene and into the Holocene, including large explosive eruptions; a major eruption occurred in 1254 CE and deposited tephra over much of Antarctica. Currently, the volcano is classified as dormant.

The volcano is fumarolically active. The geothermal activity keeps part of the caldera ice-free; mosses and various microorganisms grow on this ice-free terrain. Such an occurrence of mosses on fumarolically active volcanoes of Antarctica is limited to Mount Rittmann, Mount Melbourne and Mount Erebus and has led to efforts to establish a protected area on the volcano.