Mount Bona
Encyclopedia
Mount Bona is one of the major mountains of the Saint Elias Mountains
in eastern Alaska
, and is the fifth highest independent peak
in the United States. Mount Bona and its adjacent neighbor Mount Churchill
are both large ice-covered stratovolcano
es. Bona has the distinction of being the highest volcano in the United States
and the fourth highest in North America
, outranked only by the three highest Mexican
volcanoes, Pico de Orizaba
, Popocatépetl
, and Iztaccíhuatl
.
The mountain's massif is covered almost entirely by icefields and glacier
s, and it is the principal source of ice for the Klutlan Glacier
, which flows east for over 40 miles (64 km) into the Yukon Territory of Canada
. The mountain also contributes a large volume of ice to the north-flowing Russell Glacier system.
Mount Bona was named by Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi
in 1897, who saw the peak while making the first ascent
of Mount Saint Elias
about 80 miles (130 km) to the southeast. He named it after the Bona, his racing yacht
.
The mountain was first climbed in 1930 by Allen Carpé, Terris Moore
, and Andrew Taylor, from the Russell Glacier on the west of the peak. The current standard route is the East Ridge; a climb of nearby Mount Churchill
is a relatively easy addition via this route as well.
Saint Elias Mountains
The Saint Elias Mountains are a subgroup of the Pacific Coast Ranges, located in southeastern Alaska in the United States, southwestern Yukon and the very far northwestern part of British Columbia in Canada. The range spans Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in the USA and Kluane...
in eastern 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...
, and is the fifth highest independent peak
Fourteener
In mountaineering terminology in the United States, a fourteener is a mountain that exceeds 14,000 feet above mean sea level. There are 547 fourteeners in the world. The importance of fourteeners is greatest in Colorado, which has the majority of such peaks in North America...
in the United States. Mount Bona and its adjacent neighbor Mount Churchill
Mount Churchill
Mount Churchill is a volcano in the Saint Elias Mountains and the Wrangell Volcanic Field of eastern Alaska. Churchill and its higher neighbor Mount Bona about to the southwest are both large ice-covered stratovolcanoes, with Churchill being the fourth highest volcano in the United States and the...
are both large ice-covered stratovolcano
Stratovolcano
A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a tall, conical volcano built up by many layers of hardened lava, tephra, pumice, and volcanic ash. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile and periodic, explosive eruptions...
es. Bona has the distinction of being the highest volcano in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the fourth highest in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, outranked only by the three highest Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
volcanoes, Pico de Orizaba
Pico de Orizaba
The Pico de Orizaba, or Citlaltépetl , is a stratovolcano, the highest mountain in Mexico and the third highest in North America. It rises above sea level in the eastern end of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, on the border between the states of Veracruz and Puebla...
, Popocatépetl
Popocatépetl
Popocatépetl also known as "Popochowa" by the local population is an active volcano and, at , the second highest peak in Mexico after the Pico de Orizaba...
, and Iztaccíhuatl
Iztaccíhuatl
Iztaccíhuatl , is the third highest mountain in Mexico, after the Pico de Orizaba, , and Popocatépetl, . Its name is Nahuatl for "White woman"....
.
The mountain's massif is covered almost entirely by icefields and glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
s, and it is the principal source of ice for the Klutlan Glacier
Klutlan Glacier
Klutlan Glacier is a long glacier in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is located southwest of Mount Natazhat and flows east across the border with Canada, then north to form the headwaters of the Klutlan River. Its native name was reported in 1891 by C. W. Hayes of the United States Geological Survey....
, which flows east for over 40 miles (64 km) into the Yukon Territory of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The mountain also contributes a large volume of ice to the north-flowing Russell Glacier system.
Mount Bona was named by Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi
Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi
Prince Luigi Amedeo Giuseppe Maria Ferdinando Francesco di Savoia-Aosta , Duke of the Abruzzi , was an Italian nobleman, mountaineer and explorer of the royal House of Savoy...
in 1897, who saw the peak while making the first ascent
First ascent
In climbing, a first ascent is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route...
of Mount Saint Elias
Mount Saint Elias
Mount Saint Elias, also designated Boundary Peak 186, is the second highest mountain in both Canada and the United States, being situated on the Yukon and Alaska border. It lies about southwest of Mount Logan, the highest mountain in Canada. The Canadian side is part of Kluane National Park,...
about 80 miles (130 km) to the southeast. He named it after the Bona, his racing yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
.
The mountain was first climbed in 1930 by Allen Carpé, Terris Moore
Terris Moore
Terris Moore was an explorer, mountaineer, light plane pilot, and the second president of the University of Alaska....
, and Andrew Taylor, from the Russell Glacier on the west of the peak. The current standard route is the East Ridge; a climb of nearby Mount Churchill
Mount Churchill
Mount Churchill is a volcano in the Saint Elias Mountains and the Wrangell Volcanic Field of eastern Alaska. Churchill and its higher neighbor Mount Bona about to the southwest are both large ice-covered stratovolcanoes, with Churchill being the fourth highest volcano in the United States and the...
is a relatively easy addition via this route as well.
See also
- 4000 meter peaks of Alaska
- 4000 metre peaks of Canada
- 4000 meter peaks of North America
- 4000 meter peaks of the United States
- Mountain peaks of AlaskaMountain peaks of AlaskaThis article comprises three sortable tables of mountain peaks of the U.S. State of Alaska.Topographic elevation is the vertical distance above the reference geoid, a precise mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface. Topographic prominence is the...
- Mountain peaks of CanadaMountain peaks of CanadaThis article comprises three sortable tables of major mountain peaks of Canada.Topographic elevation is the vertical distance above the reference geoid, a precise mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface. Topographic prominence is the elevation...
- Mountain peaks of North AmericaMountain peaks of North AmericaThis article comprises three sortable tables of major mountain peaks of greater North America.This article defines greater North America as the portion of the continental landmass of the Americas extending northward from Panama plus the islands surrounding that landmass...
- Mountain peaks of the United StatesMountain peaks of the United StatesThis article comprises three sortable tables of the major mountain peaks of the United States of America.Topographic elevation is the vertical distance above the reference geoid, a precise mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface...