This list of highest mountains of New Guinea shows all mountains on the island of New Guinea that are at least 3,750 m (12,300 ft) high and have a topographic prominence of 500 m (1,600 ft) or more. These c. 50 peaks are also the highest mountains of Australasia and the continent of Australia, where, outside New Guinea, the highest mountain is Aoraki / Mount Cook in New Zealand with a height of 3,724 m (12,218 ft).[1] A list of highest mountains of Oceania with the same limitations is almost identical, with the addition of the Hawaiian volcanoes of Mauna Kea (4,205 m; 13,796 ft) and Mauna Loa (4,169 m; 13,678 ft) in 18th and 20th positions. The list also shows the 36 highest thus defined mountains of Indonesia, except for the 3,805 m-high (12,484 ft) Gunung Kerinci on Sumatra (#29 in Indonesia), and the 16 highest mountains of Papua New Guinea.
Many mountains in New Guinea are poorly surveyed and some major summits remain unnamed on maps.
Even well measured mountains have conflicting heights on otherwise authoritative maps. For example, the highest point in Oceania, Carstensz Pyramid, was established to be 4,884 m (16,024 ft) in 1973 when an Australian survey expedition put a beacon on the summit. This corresponded closely to the 4,866 m (15,965 ft) estimate by the first Lorentsz Expedition in 1910 using repeated theodolite observations from the south coast. However, over time the mountain had grown in stature: measurements from northern observation peaks for the highest summit (each time Ngga Pulu) were 5,000 m (16,404 ft) in 1910 by Ludolph Doorman and 5,030 m (16,503 ft) in 1926 by Charles C.F.M. Le Roux.[2] The 1936 Carstensz Expedition using barometric and boiling point measurements on the summit of Ngga Pulu also derived an elevation of 5,030 m (16,503 ft).[3] After ascending the Pyramid in 1962, Heinrich Harrer even estimated that peak to be 17,096 feet or 5211 m high.[4] The 1973 survey established that the 1936 barometric estimates were consistently between 118 and 127 m (387 and 417 ft) too high. Nevertheless, the 5,030 m (16,503 ft) height is still prevalent in most atlases and maps.[5]
Disappearing and disappeared glaciers of the Snowy Mountains
All mountains in West Papua are in the Maoke Mountains, a translation of the name “Sneeuwgebergte” or Snowy Mountains endowed to them in 1623 by Jan Carstensz, at which time many of the peaks indeed were covered by extensive ice caps. By the beginning of the 20th century, at least five such glaciated regions remained on the highest mountains. In 1913, the 4,520–4,550 m (14,830–14,930 ft) high Prins Hendrik-top (now Puncak Yamin) was named and reported to have some "eternal" snow.[6] The ice cap of Wilhelmina Peaks vanished between 1939 and 1963, while the Mandala / Juliana ice cap disappeared in the 1990s.[7] The Idenburg glacier on Ngga Pilimsit dried up in 2003, leaving currently only the remnants of the glaciers on Mount Carstensz, the last of which are expected to disappear before 2025[8] and perhaps much earlier.[9] The snow melt on the last mountain has caused a change of the highest summit of New Guinea: somewhere between 1936 and 1973 the title of highest summit of Oceania changed from Ngga Pulu, the highest point of the Northwall Firn (by then split into the West and East Northwall Firn; only small patches of the latter still exist), to the rocky spires of Carstensz Pyramid 3 km (1.9 mi) to its south-west.[10]
The list contains some unranked summits that are either of general interest, may show topographic prominences of >500 m (1,600 ft) given better data, or are more than 12 km (7.5 mi) isolated from any higher point.
^Aoraki was 3,764 m (12,349 ft) high until 14 December 1991, when a massive rock/ice collapse broke off 10 m (33 ft). Subsequent erosion of the exposed ice cap reduced its height by a further 30 m (98 ft) as of November 2013. University of Otago (16 January 2014). "Otago-led study revises height of Aoraki/Mt Cook". Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
^Le Roux, Charles C.F.M. (1948). De Bergpapoea's Van Niew-Guinea En Hun Woongebied I [Charles C.F.M. Le Roux, The Mountain Papuas of New Guinea and their environment, Volume 1] (PDF) (in Dutch). Lieden: E. J. Brill. pp. 40 & 45. Archived from the original(PDF) on 17 September 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
^Heinrich Harrer's sketch map from Ich komme aus der Steinzeit. Pinguin, Innsbruck 1976, ISBN 3-524-00331-1.
^Edward G. Anderson, Topographic survey and cartography, in Hope, Geoff S, et al (Editors) 1976, The Equatorial Glaciers of New Guinea (Results of the 1971-1973 Australian Universities' Expeditions to Irian Jaya: survey, glaciology, meteorology, biology and palaeoenvironments), Rotterdam: A.A. Balkema. 1976, pp. 19-23.
^E.J. Brill, Tijdschrift van het Koninklijk Nederlandsch Aardrijkskundig Genootschap, 1913, p. 180.
^Only mountains with a prominence of 500 m (1,600 ft) or more are ranked.
^Many names are from the 1942 and 1966 American army maps and can be outdated [1][2].
^Most "round" heights are crude estimates from contour lines on Google terrain maps. Based on the average of carefully measured summit heights in the region, peaks are here presented to be 40 m (130 ft) higher than the highest encircling contour line.
^The prominence data were extracted from a combination of maps and Google terrain data. Values for mountains with prominences over 1,500 m (4,900 ft) were copied from the peaklist.org ultras website.
^The nearest higher elevation to Puncak Jaya is on the slopes of Yulong Xueshan in China.
^Measured in 1975 at 4,885 m (16,027 ft) (Anderson, p. 21), but its exposed spire is now also higher than the neighboring, melting Ngga Pulu
^In 1936, the snow dome of Ngga Pulu seems to have been ca. 4,900 m (16,100 ft) m high and with that the highest summit in the Netherlands Indies and Oceania (Anderson p. 22). For this reason it became in 1963 the original bearer of the name Puntjak Sukarno and then Puntjak Djaja. However, snowmelt had lowered it to 4,862 m (15,951 ft) by 1973 (Anderson, p. 22).
^An alternative height of 4,640 m (15,220 ft) is inconsistent with 4,720 m (15,490 ft) SRTM-contour lines around the summit.
^ abOn some maps and in some sources the Jayawijaya / Orange range represents the eastern half of the Nassau range (from the 3,475 m (11,401 ft) Jila Pass at 4°5′36″S137°40′16″E / 4.09333°S 137.67111°E / -4.09333; 137.67111 to the Baliem gorge). The original Orange range is then often considered part of the Star mountains, the eastern section of the Jayawijaya range, or has the name Wisnumurti Range.
^Highest SRTM-contour lines are 4,680 m (15,350 ft).
^According to "Ngga Pilimsit, Indonesia". Peakbagger.com., which site uses the published height of Ngga Pilimsit and a maximum 4,160 m (13,650 ft) for the key col from Google terrain. The latter's SRTM data shows a maximum of 4,640 m (15,220 ft) for the peak though and may be particularly off for the region.
^ abThe names of the Valentijn and Jan Pietersz Coen mountains are switched on different maps, sometimes JPC, sometimes Valentijn being northwest and having the highest summit of ca. 4,500 m (14,800 ft).
^ abOne of multiple summits on a ridge with the same highest contour lines.
^A mountain originally named after the son of Charles Darwin. The height of Mt Ubia is usually given as 4,234 m (13,891 ft). This probably was the 1910 theodolite measurement from the south coast of the top of the spectacular, 1,500 m-high (4,900 ft) south wall. The true summit 2 km (1.2 mi) NE would have been out of view.
^The first recorded ascendants reported that the local, (Nankina) name consistently is Boising, meaning "Stop the fight". Their GPS measurements on the top were 3,751 and 4,155 m (12,306 and 13,632 ft), while its height is indicated as 4,175 m (13,698 ft) on the 1:100,000 ‘Saidor’ topographic sheet, based on 1973-74 aerial photography. This summit is unnamed on most maps, but is possibly the same as Mount Gladstone, a name bestowed by Hugo Zöller to the highest summit in this range during his expedition through the Finisterre range in 1888. It appeared with this name and a height of just 11,400 feet (c. 3475 m) on the 1942 American Army Map.
^Sometimes reported with an SRTM-data incompatible 4,350 m (14,270 ft) height.
^The height of Antares, always considered the highest mountain of the Sterrengebergte (Star mountains), has been all over the map. The first ascendants underestimated it by some 300 m (980 ft) to be 3,650 m (11,980 ft) [3] while the height of 4,170 m (13,680 ft) on many maps appears 200 m (660 ft) too high. The highest (very narrow) SRTM-contours around the summit are 3,940 m (12,927 ft).
^The commonly reported height of 4,360 m (14,304 ft) appears 400 m (1,300 ft) off target.
^Bondewit and Kawam are local, Nankina names for mountains roughly corresponding to the location of this mountain and ca 3,950 m (12,960 ft) mountain in between it and Mt Boising.
^MacGregor, William 1899. ‘Despatch reporting visit inland to the western end of the Owen Stanley Range, and thence across the island to the north-east coast.’ Annual Report of British New Guinea 1897-98. Appendix B. Melbourne, Victoria: Government Printer
^Many sources give a height of 3,834 m (12,579 ft) for Mt Hagen, but SRTM data show multiple regions on the crater rim with contour lines of 3,780 m (12,402 ft).
^The 3,774 m (12,382 ft) height is reported for Mount Bedego, which could match the 3,700 m (12,139 ft) contour lines at this location, which more often bears the name Mount Undan or Mount Udon.
^The highest point of the Weyland mountains for many years was held to be 3,891 m (12,766 ft), but this is not borne out by maximum SRTM-contours of 3,720 m (12,205 ft).
^A pointy peak which may well be over 3,750 m (12,300 ft) high despite SRTM-contours of only 3,700 m (12,139 ft).
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