The Alaska Range
The Alaska Range is a 600-mile long arc of mountains that stretches from the Alaska-Canada border all the way to the Alaska Peninsula. The range is highest at its mid-section, a vast region of towering peaks and massive glaciers that lies within Denali National Park and Preserve. Denali is a region of great geologic activity and complexity, and scientists are only beginning to piece together its puzzling past. It has rock formations that have been carried there from thousands of miles away, fossils of ancient creatures that have been plowed up from ocean depths, new rocks born of the Earth’s internal fire, and some of the oldest rocks in Alaska.
Denali National Park and Preserve is located in an area of intense tectonic activity: the Pacific Plate is sub ducting under the North American plate, creating the Denali fault system, which is a right-lateral strike-slip fault over 720 miles (1,160 km) long. This is a part of the larger fault system which includes the famous San Andreas Fault of California. Over 600 earthquakes occur in the park each year, helping seismologists to understand this fault system. Most of these earthquakes are too small to be felt, although two large earthquakes did occur in 2002. On October 23, 2002 a magnitude 6.7 earthquake occurred in the park, and on November 3, 2002, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake occurred. These earthquakes did not cause a significant loss of life or property, since the area is very sparsely populated, but they did trigger thousands of landslides.
The Alaska Range
The Alaska Range is a 600-mile long arc of mountains that stretches from the Alaska-Canada border all the way to the Alaska Peninsula. The range is highest at its mid-section, a vast region of towering peaks and massive glaciers that lies within Denali National Park and Preserve. Denali is a region of great geologic activity and complexity, and scientists are only beginning to piece together its puzzling past. It has rock formations that have been carried there from thousands of miles away, fossils of ancient creatures that have been plowed up from ocean depths, new rocks born of the Earth’s internal fire, and some of the oldest rocks in Alaska.
Denali National Park and Preserve is located in an area of intense tectonic activity: the Pacific Plate is sub ducting under the North American plate, creating the Denali fault system, which is a right-lateral strike-slip fault over 720 miles (1,160 km) long. This is a part of the larger fault system which includes the famous San Andreas Fault of California. Over 600 earthquakes occur in the park each year, helping seismologists to understand this fault system. Most of these earthquakes are too small to be felt, although two large earthquakes did occur in 2002. On October 23, 2002 a magnitude 6.7 earthquake occurred in the park, and on November 3, 2002, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake occurred. These earthquakes did not cause a significant loss of life or property, since the area is very sparsely populated, but they did trigger thousands of landslides.