Tanada Peak

Tanada Peak
Tanada Peak
	North aspect
Highest point
Elevation	9,358 ft (2,852 m)
Prominence	3,408 ft (1,039 m)
Isolation	13.6 mi (21.9 km)
Coordinates	62°18′06″N 143°30′20″W / 62.3018007°N 143.5055639°W
Naming
Etymology	Tanada Lake
Geography
	Tanada Peak Location in Alaska
Country	United States
State	Alaska
Census Area	Copper River
Protected area	Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve
Parent range	Wrangell Mountains
Topo map	USGS Nabesna B-6
Geology
Age of rock	Pleistocene
Mountain type	Eroded shield volcano
Type of rock	Andesite, Dacite
Volcanic arc/belt	Wrangell Volcanic Field
Last eruption	970,000 years ago

Tanada Peak is a 9,358-foot (2,852 m) mountain summit in the US state of Alaska.

Description[edit]

Tanada Peak is located in the Wrangell Mountains and within Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve, with the west slope in the park and east slope in the preserve. Tanada ranks as the 21st-highest peak in the preserve and 53rd-highest in the park.^[6] It is situated 11 miles (18 km) northeast of the Copper Glacier terminus and 17 miles (27 km) southwest of Nabesna.^[4] The remote mountain can be seen from the Nabesna Road.^[1] Precipitation runoff and glacial meltwater from the mountain drains into tributaries of the Copper River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 5,750 feet (1,752 m) above Goat Creek valley in three miles (4.8 km). The mountain's name was applied in 1902 by David C. Witherspoon, U.S. Geological Survey topographer, in association with nearby Tanada Lake, and the toponym has been officially adopted by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.^[4] The lake's name comes from an Ahtna word reported in 1899 by W.J. Peters of the USGS.^[7] "Tanada" (/təˈneɪdə/) from Ahtna language (tanaadi menn, or tanaadi dzel) translates as "moving water lake."^[8]

Geology[edit]

Tanada Peak is the erosional remnant of Tanada Volcano which was an andesitic shield volcano which probably began forming 1.5 million years ago, with the last eruption occurring 970,000 years ago.^[1] Prior to one million years ago, the shield collapsed, forming a caldera. The peak is now the high point within a caldera measuring four miles (6.4 km) by six miles (9.7 km). An unnamed glacier in the caldera on the peak's southwest slope is a small remnant of the much larger glaciers that once covered the volcano and carved away much of the 400 km² (154 square miles) shield.^[1]

Climate[edit]

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Tanada Peak is located in a tundra climate zone, with long, cold, snowy winters, and cool summers.^[9] Weather systems coming off the Gulf of Alaska are forced upwards by the Wrangell Mountains (orographic lift), causing heavy precipitation in the form of rainfall and snowfall. Winter temperatures can drop below -10 °F with wind chill factors below −20 °F. This climate supports an unnamed glacier and permanent ice surrounding the peak.

Gallery[edit]

Southeast aspect of Tanada Peak centered on skyline
Tanada Peak centered on skyline

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Donald H. Richter, Guide to the Volcanoes of the Western Wrangell Mountains, Alaska: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1995, p. 20–21.
^ ^a ^b "Tanada Peak, Alaska". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
^ ^a ^b "Tanada Peak - 9,358' AK". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Tanada Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
^ ^a ^b Charles A. Wood, Volcanoes of North America: United States and Canada, Cambridge University Press, 1992, p. 90.
^ "Tanada Peak, Peakvisor.com". Retrieved 2024-02-25.
^ Donald J. Orth, Dictionary of Alaska Place Names, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1967, page 946.
^ William Bright, Native American Placenames of the United States, University of Oklahoma Press, 2004, ISBN 9780806135984, p. 478.
^ Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11. ISSN 1027-5606.

External links[edit]

Tanada Peak: weather forecast

[Richter-1] Donald H. Richter, Guide to the Volcanoes of the Western Wrangell Mountains, Alaska: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1995, p. 20–21.

[peakbagger-2] "Tanada Peak, Alaska". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2024-02-25.

[listsofjohn-3] "Tanada Peak - 9,358' AK". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2024-02-25.

[gnis-4] "Tanada Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2024-02-25.

[Wood-5] Charles A. Wood, Volcanoes of North America: United States and Canada, Cambridge University Press, 1992, p. 90.

[peakvisor-6] "Tanada Peak, Peakvisor.com". Retrieved 2024-02-25.

[Orth-7] Donald J. Orth, Dictionary of Alaska Place Names, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1967, page 946.

[8] William Bright, Native American Placenames of the United States, University of Oklahoma Press, 2004, ISBN 9780806135984, p. 478.

[Peel-9] Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11. ISSN 1027-5606.

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