Heard Island is a glaciated volcanic island that is part of the Kerguelen Plateau in the Southern Ocean. It is a remote spot on our planet.

Mountain Beltway blog reader Bill Mitchell (Twitter: @i_rockhopper) knew he was headed to Heard Island soon when he read here last year about the GEODE GigaPan loaner program. He requested a GigaPan from me. I gladly said “yes!” Bill and his colleagues have now returned from their expedition, and he has three GigaPans to share. Here they are:

Looking south-southeast at the volcano Big Ben from Atlas Cove, Heard Island. In the foreground at left are the Azorella Peninsula lava flows, and across the bottom is the nullarbor, a large sand and gravel plain.
Link

Weathered lava flows on Azorella Peninsula, Heard Island. A concrete footing from the 1947-1953 ANARE base is located near the center of the image.
Link

Close-up of a wind-blasted rock face at Windy City, Heard Island, with notebook (with scale) for scale. Prevailing winds here are right-to-left.
Link

These are some great looks at a part of the world that very few people will ever see. Thanks, Bill.

Anyone else going someplace interesting and willing to make some GigaPan images while you are there? Get in touch with me for a free loaner rig!