Alaska Range
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The Alaska Range is a mountain range that extends for about 650 km (400 mi) across south-central Alaska, from Iliamna Lake at the SW end to White River in Canada at the SE end The highest mountain in North America, Mount McKinley (also known as Denali), is in the Alaska Range.
The range forms a generally east-west arc with its northernmost part in the center, and from there trending southwest towards the Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutians, and trending southeast into the Pacific Coast Ranges. The mountains act as a high barrier to the flow of moist air from the Gulf of Alaska northwards, and thus has some of the harshest weather in the world. The heavy snowfall also contributes to a number of large glaciers.
The range is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, and the Denali fault that runs along the southern edge of the range is responsible for a number of earthquakes.
Part of the range is protected within Denali National Park. The George Parks Highway from Anchorage to Fairbanks and the Richardson Highway from Valdez to Fairbanks pass through low parts of the range.
The name "Alaskan Range" appears to have been first applied to these mountains in 1869 by Dall. The name eventually became "Alaska Range" through local use. In 1849 Constantin Grewingk applied the name "T schigmit" to this mountain range. A map made by the United States Land Office, 1869, calls the southwestern part of the Alaska Range, Chigmit mountains and the northeastern part Beaver mountains.
Major peaks:
- Mount McKinley (6,194 m)
- Mount Foraker (5,304 m)
- Mount Hunter (4,442 m)
- Mount Hayes (4,216 m)
- Mount Silverthrone (4,029 m)
- Mount Deborah (3,761 m)
- Mount Huntington (3,730 m)de:Alaskakette