Syrtis Hill is a prominent snow-free conical terraced hill, rising to about 500 m, on the northwest corner of the Two Step Cliffs

Two Step Cliffs

Two Step Cliffs is the eastern face of a flat-topped sedimentary mountain, 680 m, immediately east of Mars Glacier on the east coast of Alexander Island. First seen from the air by Lincoln Ellsworth on November 23, 1935, and mapped from photos obtained on that flight by W.L.G. Joerg...

 massif overlooking Viking Valley

Viking Valley

Viking Valley is a valley on the east side Mars Glacier containing a braided stream which feeds into Secret Lake, Alexander Island. This area was the prime research site of the 1992-93 Mars Glacier field party led by D. D. Wynn-Williams. Named by United Kingdom Antarctic Place-Names Committee in...

, Alexander Island

Alexander Island

Alexander Island or Alexander I Island or Alexander I Land or Alexander Land is the largest island of Antarctica, with an area of lying in the Bellingshausen Sea west of the base of the Antarctic Peninsula, from which it is separated by Marguerite Bay and George VI Sound. Alexander Island lies off...

. The hill is an important snow-free landmark and the site of biological and geological research. Named by United Kingdom Antarctic Place-Names Committee (UK-APC) in 1993 after Syrtis Major Planum, the prominent dark feature on Mars

Mars

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...

, first described by the Dutch astronomer Huygens in 1659.