Denali National ParkAlaska

By John Abraham

Relief Map of Denali National Park

Contour Map of Denali National Park

Location of Denali National Park

Important land features of Denali national park• Mount Mc KinleyMount Mc Kinley is the tallest mountain in north America.• GlaciersGlaciers go through Denali leaving scratch marks behind.• Bodies of waterBodies of water are all over Denali in the summer.

When did Denali National Park Become A National Park?

• In 1907-1908, a naturalist named Charles Sheldon saw that mining and big game hunters were coming to the Denali area. He knew the increase in visitors would not be good for the natural environment and wildlife.

• He returned to Washington, DC and proposed that it become a National Park to protect the wildlife.

• He was successful and President Wilson signed a bill into law to make Denali a National Park on February 26, 1917.

Environmental Issues Facing Denali National Park

Human Development – Alters the natural landscape and brings more humans to places they wouldn’t normally have gone

Global Warming – Increased global temperatures have caused the glaciers to thin and melt away.

Air Quality – Pollution from Asia and Europe makes its way to Denali.

Exotic Plants – Plants that aren’t native to the park are introduced and are invasive. They climb and spread over native plants. An example is bird vetch, an invasive plant.

Sound Quality – Human generated noise disturbs the sounds of nature.

Earthquakes – Because of plate tectonics and Denali’s location on the active Denali fault, strong earthquakes are possible in the park. Earthquakes can damage natural features and human developments. Denali continues to grow by approximately 1mm per year. Migratory Birds – Migration patterns are in danger because of human development and activity in the park.

Special Features and Landforms in Denali National Park

Geologic History• The oldest rocks in the park date back to the Paleozoic era, about 300-500 million years ago• During the last 100 million years, colliding plates have created the mountain ranges we see today• About 70 million years ago, volcanic eruptions created Denali

Denali• Denali is the tallest mountain peak in North America at 20,320 feet (3rd highest peak in the world)• Denali means “The Great One” or “The Tall One” in Athabascan (Native American)• Was previously named Mount McKinley after President McKinley in 1896• In 2015 it was given its original name back of Denali• Primarily consists of granite stone, which is a very hard stone, so it resists weathering and erosion

Mountain Range• Denali is part of the Alaska Range of mountains• Except for Denali the Alaska Range is consists of limestone, sandstone and shale. These rocks are softer

and have weathered. This creates a big difference in the heights of Denali and the rest of the Alaska range.

Technologies Used in Denali National Park• Seismographs – used to study earthquakes in the park and along the Alaska

Range. • Cameras and motion detectors are being used to observe bear behavior.• Air quality Monitors – used to study levels of pollutants in the park.• Telmetry put collars on wildlife that send radio signals to tell people where it

is.• Aerial Surveys They use helicopters and other flying vehicles to take surveys.• Weather stations – located throughout the park and help provide current

information for visitors as well as data for studying climate change.• GPS Is used to determine were certain things are.• Internet – Used to inform visitors about the park and share information.

(Denali visibility webcam)

Rocks in Denali National Park

• Denali is one of the few mountains in the world that is made up almost of all one type of rock. In this case, Denali is made of the igneous rock, granite.

• Denali’s neighboring mountains in the Alaska Range are made up of sedimentary rocks. These are primarily limestone, sandstone and shale. These rocks are much weaker than granite and therefore erode faster than Denali.

Granite From left to right: sandstone, shale, and limestone

Special Features and Landforms in Denali National Park(continued)

Glaciers• Glaciers are large bodies of ice that slowly move down mountains and over

land and water. They are formed when snow gathers faster than it melts.• In Denali glaciers cover approximately 1/6 of the park• Glaciers go through Denali leaving scratch marks behind.

Bodies of water• Bodies of water are all over Denali in the summer.• Many rivers, lakes and streams that are fed by glacier water• Not good fishing areas because of glacier silt

Bibliography

• http://www.nps.gov/articles/aps-v5-i1-c2.html• www.ohranger.com/denali/preservation• http://www.livescience.com/40595-denali-mount-mckinley.html• https://www.denaliwildlifetour.com/park-history/history-of-denali-park/• http://

traveltips.usatoday.com/denali-national-park-physical-features-104632.html

• http://traveltips.usatoday.com/denali-national-park-formed-13168.html• Image from https://

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denali_National_Park_and_Preserve

Types of Rocks in Denalihttp://denalinationalparkpink.weebly.com/landform-featuresrocks-and-minerals.html

http://www.nps.gov/articles/denali.htm

https://www.nature.nps.gov/geology/parks/dena/

Technologies Used in Denalihttp://www.nps.gov/dena/learn/photosmultimedia/webcams-depot.htm

http://www.nps.gov/articles/aps-v6-i2-c3.htm

http://www.nps.gov/articles/aps-v5-i1-c6.htm

http://www.nps.gov/subjects/bears/evolvingtechnologies.htm

Bibliography (continued)