Mount Murphy is a massive, snow-covered and highly eroded shield volcano

Shield volcano

A shield volcano is a type of volcano usually built almost entirely of fluid lava flows. They are named for their large size and low profile, resembling a warrior's shield. This is caused by the highly fluid lava they erupt, which travels farther than lava erupted from more explosive volcanoes...

 with steep, rocky slopes. It is directly south of Bear Peninsula

Bear Peninsula

Bear Peninsula is a peninsula about 80 km long and 40 km wide which is ice covered except for several isolated rock bluffs and outcrops along its margins, lying 48 km 30 mi) east of Martin Peninsula on Walgreen Coast, Marie Byrd Land.First delineated from aerial photographs...

, Marie Byrd Land

Marie Byrd Land

Marie Byrd Land is the portion of West Antarctica lying east of the Ross Ice Shelf and the Ross Sea and south of the Pacific Ocean, extending eastward approximately to a line between the head of the Ross Ice Shelf and Eights Coast. It stretches between 158°W and 103°24'W...

. The mountain is bounded by the Smith

Smith Glacier

Smith Glacier is a low-gradient Antarctic glacier, over 160 km long, draining from Toney Mountain in an ENE direction to Amundsen Sea. A northern distributary, Kohler Glacier, drains to Dotson Ice Shelf but the main flow passes to the sea between Bear Peninsula and Mount Murphy, terminating at...

, Pope

Pope Glacier

Pope Glacier is a glacier about 20 nautical miles long, flowing north along the west side of Mount Murphy to Crosson Ice Shelf on Walgreen Coast, in Marie Byrd Land. Mapped by United States Geological Survey from surveys and U.S. Navy air photos, 1959-66. Named by Advisory Committee on Antarctic...

 and Haynes Glacier

Haynes Glacier

Haynes Glacier is a broad glacier flowing to Walgreen Coast, to the east of Mount Murphy, in Marie Byrd Land. Mapped by United States Geological Survey from surveys and U.S. Navy air photos, 1959-66. Named by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names after Maj. John W...

s.

Delineated from aerial photographs taken by US Navy Operation Highjump

Operation Highjump

Operation Highjump , officially titled The United States Navy Antarctic Developments Program, 1946-1947, was a United States Navy operation organized by RADM Richard E. Byrd Jr. USN, , Officer in Charge, Task Force 68, and led by RADM Richard H. Cruzen, USN, Commanding Officer, Task Force 68....

in January 1947. Named by US-ACAN for Robert Cushman Murphy of the American Museum of Natural History, noted authority on Antarctic and sub-Antarctic bird life. While serving on the whaler, he charted the Bay of Isles region of South Georgia.