- Summit -
Zone 6: Summit
Altitude: roughly 5,029 to 5,895 meters
MUC Field Guide Classification - 54 (Perennial Snowfields)
The summit is an arctic zone characterized by freezing cold nights and burning sun during the day. At the top, the oxygen level is roughly half that found at sea level, and the thin atmosphere offers little protection against the fierce rays of the sun. This region receives less than 10 centimeters of precipitation per year, usually in the form of snow. Even in this desolate climate, there are a few red and gray lichens are adapted for survival. The massive glaciers that cover one-third of the mountaintop are remnants of the ice cap that covered the entire summit area thousands of years ago. However, the glaciers are disappearing at such a rapid rate that there is concern that the ice cover may disappear completely within the next 20 years.
( View of the Northern Icefield from the Crater )
( A 2008 Xpedition Team Members measures up to the Glacier )
( 2008 Xpedition members walking from the Crater towards the Furtwangler Glacier and Crater Camp )
( Uhuru Peak is on the top left of the rock outcrop in the distance )
( Mike standing next to the Furtwangler Glacier - 2008 Xpedition )
( The Reusch Crater and Volcanic Ash Pit of Kilimanjaro )
( 2008 Xpedition members near some Fumerals, geothermal - volcanic vents in the Crater )
( If you look close Drew is standing on the northern rim of the Crater - 2008 Xpedition )
( The 2008 Xpedition Team on their way to Uhuru Peak )
( Uhuru Peak, the Roof of Africa )
Click on Orbie to learn
more about the Life on Kilimanjaro