The Chigmit Mountains are a subrange of the
Aleutian Range
The Aleutian Range is a major mountain range located in southwest Alaska. It extends from Chakachamna Lake (80 miles/130 km southwest of Anchorage) to Unimak Island, which is at the tip of the Alaska Peninsula. It includes all of the mountai ...
in the
Kenai Peninsula
The Kenai Peninsula ( Dena'ina: ''Yaghenen'') is a large peninsula jutting from the coast of Southcentral Alaska. The name Kenai (, ) is derived from the word "Kenaitze" or "Kenaitze Indian Tribe", the name of the Native Athabascan Alaskan trib ...
and
Lake and Peninsula Boroughs of the
U.S. state of
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S ...
.
Location
They are located at the northeastern end of the Aleutian range, on the west side of
Cook Inlet
Cook Inlet ( tfn, Tikahtnu; Sugpiaq: ''Cungaaciq'') stretches from the Gulf of Alaska to Anchorage in south-central Alaska. Cook Inlet branches into the Knik Arm and Turnagain Arm at its northern end, almost surrounding Anchorage. On its ...
, roughly 120 miles (200 km) southwest of
Anchorage
Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring ...
. The closest major towns to the range are
Kenai
Kenai (, ) ( Dena'ina: ; russian: Кенай, ''Kenay'') is a city in the Kenai Peninsula Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is one hundred and fifty-eight miles by road southwest from Anchorage. The population was 7,424 as of the 2020 cen ...
and
Homer
Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the '' Iliad'' and the '' Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of ...
, across
Cook Inlet
Cook Inlet ( tfn, Tikahtnu; Sugpiaq: ''Cungaaciq'') stretches from the Gulf of Alaska to Anchorage in south-central Alaska. Cook Inlet branches into the Knik Arm and Turnagain Arm at its northern end, almost surrounding Anchorage. On its ...
on the west side of the
Kenai Peninsula
The Kenai Peninsula ( Dena'ina: ''Yaghenen'') is a large peninsula jutting from the coast of Southcentral Alaska. The name Kenai (, ) is derived from the word "Kenaitze" or "Kenaitze Indian Tribe", the name of the Native Athabascan Alaskan trib ...
.
To the north, the Chigmits are bordered by the
Tordrillo Mountains, and on the northwest, by the
Neacola Mountains. Cook Inlet marks the eastern boundary of the range, while on the west, the mountains fade out into the hills and lowlands of
Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. On the south and southwest, the Chigmits abut the continuation of the Aleutian Range into the
Alaska Peninsula
The Alaska Peninsula (also called Aleut Peninsula or Aleutian Peninsula, ale, Alasxix̂; Sugpiaq: ''Aluuwiq'', ''Al'uwiq'') is a peninsula extending about to the southwest from the mainland of Alaska and ending in the Aleutian Islands. The ...
.
Geological composition
The Chigmits, along with most of the Aleutian Range, are
volcanic
A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.
On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates ...
, and include two prominent
stratovolcano
A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a conical volcano built up by many layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with a summit crater and p ...
es,
Redoubt Volcano
Redoubt Volcano, or Mount Redoubt ( Dena'ina: ''Bentuggezh K’enulgheli''), is an active stratovolcano in the largely volcanic Aleutian Range of the U.S. state of Alaska. Located at the head of the Chigmit Mountains subrange in Lake Cl ...
(10,197 feet/3,108 m), the high point of the Aleutian Range; and
Iliamna Volcano (10,016 feet/3,052 m).
References
Gallery
File:Mt Redoubt 2009-04-16 1240010022 ak231.JPG, Mount Redoubt
Redoubt Volcano, or Mount Redoubt ( Dena'ina: ''Bentuggezh K’enulgheli''), is an active stratovolcano in the largely volcanic Aleutian Range of the U.S. state of Alaska. Located at the head of the Chigmit Mountains subrange in Lake Clark Na ...
(Highest)
File:Iliamna Volcano.jpg, Iliamna Volcano (Second-highest)
File:Double Peak, Double Glacier.jpg, Double Peak
A double summit, double peak, twin summit, or twin peak refers to a mountain or hill that has two summits, separated by a col or saddle.
One well-known double summit is Austria’s highest mountain, the Großglockner, where the main summit of t ...
(Third-highest}
File:Black Peak, Chigmits.jpg, Black Peak (Fourth-highest)
Aleutian Range
Lake Clark National Park and Preserve
Mountains of Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska
Mountains of Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska
{{LakeAndPeninsulaAK-geo-stub