Denali Fault

Alaska is home to one of the most beautiful and tallest mountains in North America. Denali, previously known as Mt. Mckinley is the tallest peak in North America standing at 20,320 feet(Denali). In relation to plate tectonics, the Pacific plate has been subducting underneath for millions of years. Therefore, causing land surfaces in Alaska to continually compress and fold. Due to the tectonic movement, this causes the mountain to be shifting upward. Denali is also surrounded by many glacier-clad mountains. Denali is mainly composed of granite, a hard yet buoyant igneous rock that sustains weathering much better than sedimentary rocks of the mountains nearby(Denali). Due to the strength of the rocks, Denali remains at a higher elevation because
This specific plate has brought up ocean floor, and pieces of continents northward to form accretionary terranes. Most of this terrane are known as groups of rocks that are surrounded by faults, different types of fossils, and other types of physical properties. Due to the Pacific Plate subducting beneath the North American plate, it creates the Denali fault system. Denali consists of a right lateral strike-slip fault over 720 miles long (Sharpe). This strike-slip fault is a part of the larger fault system which includes the San Andreas Fault system in
Another period of volcanism occurred exposing the basalts and andesites of Mt. Galen. During this period of volcanism, magma was rising beneath the surface and was unable to escape. therefore cooling and creating another granitic blob crystallizing under the surface. “As a final tribute to the active tectonics of Alaska, a series of fault shave fractured the park and most of the state in the last 100 million years”(Pletcher). In Denali, this group of faults is known as the Denali fault system, which travels East-West through the park(Denali). Portions of the fault are visible throughout the park. These faults show how these rocks have broken and shifted due to Pacific Plate.
This mountain is a great example of how geological processes underlie the formation of mountains. Denali is one of the most remote, scenic, and protected areas on earth and hopefully will remain that way. Denali National Park is a wonder of beauty that allows us a humans to appreciate the pure and simple world surrounding us. Thanks to the people that have dedicated their lives to this mountain, they have helped protect and preserve the beauty and wildlife around it. Therefore, they have made it possible for future generations to visit and appreciate it’s beauty as much as I