Endicott Mountains
Encyclopedia
The Endicott Mountains are a range of mountains
, part of the Brooks Range
in northern Alaska
. They are located in the middle of the Brooks range and run some 151 miles (243 km) east-west. To the east are the Philip Smith Mountains and to the west are the Schwatka Mountains. The Enicott Mountains are separated from the Philip Smith Mountains by the Middle Fork of the Koyukuk River
, the Dalton Highway
, and Atigun Pass
. The Enicott Mountains are separated from the Schwatka Mountains by Walker Lake, the upper reaches of the West Fork of the Kobuk River
(Kaluluktok Creek), Akabluak Pass, and the Noatak River
. The Endicott Mountains are separated from the mountains north of the Schwatka by Lucky Six Creek, Gull Pass, Gull Creek, a portion of the Alatna River
and the Killik River
.
From south to north the Endicott Mountains present long, broad glaciated valleys with rounded hills between rising in the center of the range to steep tors and aretes. The northern slopes of the Endicotts are steeper and more heavily incised, before they give way to the Arctic Coastal Plain.
, and highest to lowest:
as well as a number of unnamed peaks over 7000 ft.
are partial metamorphozed
PreCambrian
and Paleozoic
sediments. Above these are middle Cambrian sediments and the well documented Kanayuk Conglomerate. The Kanayuk Conglomerate is a fluvial deposit, made by a river in its flood plain, and can be up to 8,000 ft. thick. The Kanayuk Conglomerate began to be deposited in the Devonian
and continued through into the Mississippian (early Carboniferous). It is believed to have formed a huge delta almost 500 miles long and 30 miles wide.
Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
, part of the Brooks Range
Brooks Range
The Brooks Range is a mountain range in far northern North America. It stretches from west to east across northern Alaska and into Canada's Yukon Territory, a total distance of about 1100 km . The mountains top out at over 2,700 m . The range is believed to be approximately 126 million years old...
in northern Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. They are located in the middle of the Brooks range and run some 151 miles (243 km) east-west. To the east are the Philip Smith Mountains and to the west are the Schwatka Mountains. The Enicott Mountains are separated from the Philip Smith Mountains by the Middle Fork of the Koyukuk River
Koyukuk River
The Koyukuk River is a principal tributary of the Yukon River, approximately 500 mi long, in northern Alaska in the United States.It drains an area north of the Yukon on the southern side of the Brooks Range...
, the Dalton Highway
Dalton Highway
The James W. Dalton Highway, usually Dalton Highway is a 414-mile road in Alaska. It begins at the Elliott Highway, north of Fairbanks, and ends at Deadhorse near the Arctic Ocean and the Prudhoe Bay oil fields...
, and Atigun Pass
Atigun Pass
Atigun Pass, elevation , is a high mountain pass across the Brooks Range in Alaska, located at the head of the Dietrich River.. It is where the Dalton Highway crosses the Continental Divide , and is the highest pass in Alaska that is maintained throughout the year. Atigun is the only pass in the...
. The Enicott Mountains are separated from the Schwatka Mountains by Walker Lake, the upper reaches of the West Fork of the Kobuk River
Kobuk River
The Kobuk River is a river located in the Arctic region of northwestern Alaska in the United States. It is approximately long...
(Kaluluktok Creek), Akabluak Pass, and the Noatak River
Noatak River
The Noatak River is a river in northwestern Alaska. The river's headwaters are on tall Mount Igikpak in the Schwatka Mountains of the Brooks Range in the Gates of the Arctic National Park. The Noatak flows generally westward approximately to the Chukchi Sea at Kotzebue Sound. The river's entire...
. The Endicott Mountains are separated from the mountains north of the Schwatka by Lucky Six Creek, Gull Pass, Gull Creek, a portion of the Alatna River
Alatna River
The Alatna River is a federally-designated wild and scenic river partially contained within the boundaries of Gates of the Arctic National Park, Alaska. It is called one of the most beautiful rivers in the United States...
and the Killik River
Killik River
The Killik River, which has its headwaters in the northern portion of Gates of the Arctic National Park and flows north on to the property of Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, is a river on the North Slope of the central Brooks Range in Alaska. The Killik is a tributary of the Colville River,...
.
From south to north the Endicott Mountains present long, broad glaciated valleys with rounded hills between rising in the center of the range to steep tors and aretes. The northern slopes of the Endicotts are steeper and more heavily incised, before they give way to the Arctic Coastal Plain.
Peaks
Peaks in the Endicott Mountains include the Arrigetch PeaksArrigetch Peaks
The Arrigetch Peaks are a cluster of rugged granite spires in the Endicott Mountains of the central Brooks Range in northern Alaska. The name Arrigetch means 'fingers of the outstretched hand' in the Inupiat language. The peaks ring the glacial cirques at the head of the Kobuk River and 2...
, and highest to lowest:
|
|
|
as well as a number of unnamed peaks over 7000 ft.
Geology
Above the crystalline basementBasement (geology)
In geology, the terms basement and crystalline basement are used to define the rocks below a sedimentary platform or cover, or more generally any rock below sedimentary rocks or sedimentary basins that are metamorphic or igneous in origin...
are partial metamorphozed
Metamorphism
Metamorphism is the solid-state recrystallization of pre-existing rocks due to changes in physical and chemical conditions, primarily heat, pressure, and the introduction of chemically active fluids. Mineralogical, chemical and crystallographic changes can occur during this process...
PreCambrian
Precambrian
The Precambrian is the name which describes the large span of time in Earth's history before the current Phanerozoic Eon, and is a Supereon divided into several eons of the geologic time scale...
and Paleozoic
Paleozoic
The Paleozoic era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon, spanning from roughly...
sediments. Above these are middle Cambrian sediments and the well documented Kanayuk Conglomerate. The Kanayuk Conglomerate is a fluvial deposit, made by a river in its flood plain, and can be up to 8,000 ft. thick. The Kanayuk Conglomerate began to be deposited in the Devonian
Devonian
The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya , to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya...
and continued through into the Mississippian (early Carboniferous). It is believed to have formed a huge delta almost 500 miles long and 30 miles wide.
Further reading
- Handschy, James William (1989) Sedimentology and structural geology of the Endicott Mountains allochthon, central Brooks Range, Alaska PhD Thesis, Rice University, Abstract
External links
- "Endicott Mountains" from Peakbagger.com
Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve
Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve
Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve is a U.S. National Park in Alaska. It is the northernmost national park in the U.S. and the second largest at 13,238 mi² , about the same size as Switzerland. The park consists primarily of portions of the Brooks Range of mountains...