Ball's Pyramid - Mountain in the ocean

Balls Pyramid is an iconic rock stack rising 562m out of the water. It lies 20 kilometers (12 mi) from southeast of Lord Howe Island in the Pacific Ocean. Ball’s Pyramid is all that remains from a shield volcano that was formed 7 million years ago and is the tallest volcanic stack in the world. Ball's pyramid is 1,100 meters (3,600 ft) in length and 300 meters (980 ft) across. It is part of the Lord Howe Island Marine Park, which is recorded by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site of global natural significance. The pyramid does not receive many visitors due to its remote location even though scuba diving, sport fishing, and climbing are all available.

              Ball's pyramid was discovered in 1788, by Lieutenant Henry Ball, but no one was able to climb to its summit until 1965.The pyramid is named after Lieutenant Henry Lidgbird Ball. On the same voyage, Ball also discovered Lord Howe Island.

             Ball's Pyramid also has a few satellite islets. Observatory Rock and Wheat sheaf Islet lie about 800 meters (2,600 ft) west-northwest and west-southwest respectively, of the western extremity of Ball's Pyramid. Southeast Rock is a pinnacle located about 3.5 kilometers (2.2 mi) southeast of Ball's Pyramid.Ball's Pyramid is composed of nearly horizontally-bedded basalt lava flows, the remnants of a volcanic plug formed in a former vent of a volcano. Basalt is a common rock that is typically formed by melting of the Earth's mantle. Ball's Pyramid is home to a small population of Lord Howe Island stick insects, a species previously thought to be extinct.