 Although most rifts within the West Antarctic Rift System are no longer active, geodetic surveys show that West Antarctica is moving away from East Antarctica in a north/northeasterly direction (approximately in the direction of the South Georgia Islands) at a rate of not greater than 1- or .The West Antarctic Rift System is the source of all the recently active volcanoes within Antarctica and all the recently active volcanoes on the continent.It is responsible for most of the major mountain systems outside the Antarctic Peninsula.