Mount Hope is crowned the 'UK's highest peak'
A new mountain has claimed the title of highest peak on UK territory after satellite data revealed land surveys by polar explorers were nearly 400 metres (1,300 ft) out.
Mount Hope in the British Antarctic Territory was recently remeasured and found to be 377 metres (1,237 ft) taller than thought.
This means it overtakes Britain's previous record holder Mount Jackson - also found on the UK's section of the Antarctic - by 55 metres (180 ft).
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Britain has a new highest mountain after satellite data revealed land surveys by polar explorers were nearly 400 metres (1,300 ft) out. Mount Hope (pictured) in the British Antarctic Territory was recently remeasured and found to be 377 metres (1,237 ft) taller than thought
HOW BRITAIN'S MOUNTAINS COMPARE Tallest: Mt Hope (Antarctica) - 3,239m (10,654 ft) Second tallest: Mt Jackson (Antarctica) - 3,184m (10,474 ft) Tallest outside Antarctica: Mt Jackson (South Georgia) - 2,935m (9,629 ft) Tallest in UK: Ben Nevis (Scotland) 1,345m (4,411 ft). Tallest in England: Scafell Pike (Lake District) 978m (3,209 ft)
At 3,239 metres (10,654 ft), Mount Hope towers above the highest mountain in the British Isles: Ben Nevis, at 1,345 metres (4,411ft).
The Cambridge-based British Antarctic Survey (BAS) said the discovery was made during surveys to update maps.
Adrian Fox, head of mapping and geographic information at BAS, said: 'This is an exciting discovery within the British Antarctic Territory.
'Modern satellite data highlights how inaccurate previous surveys and maps were for some parts of the region.
'As well as discovering Mount Hope is the highest mountain in the territory, we have identified several other interesting discoveries.
Mount Hope has become Britain's tallest mountain. The highest peaks in the British Antarctic Territory dwarf the tallest mountain in the British Isles, Ben Nevis. Mount Paget, in South Georgia, is Britain's tallest mountain outside of Antarctica
Mt Hope has now overtaken Britain's previous record holder Mount Jackson (pictured) - also found on the UK's section of the Antarctic - by 55 metres (180 ft)
'These include new mountain heights, ranges in new locations by up to five kilometres [3.1 miles] and even some new peaks which hadn't been surveyed before.
'Maps with reliable measurements of the highest peaks are an essential safety requirement for flight planning.
'Accurate elevation data from satellite imagery now allows us to produce these resources for Antarctica, where flying is difficult at the best of times.'
The tallest mountain in the Antarctic is Mount Vinson - which is not part of the British Antarctic Territory - at 4,892 m (16,050 ft).
The Cambridge-based British Antarctic Survey (BAS) said the discovery was made during surveys to update maps. Pictured is Mt Hope, the new record holder
Foreign Office Minister with responsibility for the Polar Regions, Sir Alan Duncan, said: 'The discovery of Mount Hope as the UK's tallest peak is a great example of British science making big steps forward in mapping techniques to help us get a better understanding of this fascinating region.'
Satellite imagery is commonly used to measure elevation, and involves two orbiting probes taking distance measurements of the same region.
Each probe takes a reading from a different angles, and the two sets of data are then cross-referenced via trigonometry to work out elevation.
Britain has a new highest mountain after satellite data revealed land surveys by polar explorers were nearly 400 metres (1,300 ft) out. Mount Hope has now overtaken Mount Jackson as the UK's highest peak, with both mountains located in the British Antarctic Territory