All Topics  
Brooks Range

 
Brooks Range

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Brooks Range
 
 
  Topics Brooks Range Topic Home

The Brooks Range is a mountain range
Mountain range

A mountain range is a chain of mountains bordered by highlands or separated from other mountains by mountain pass or valleys. Individual mountains within the same mountain range do not necessarily have the same geology, though they often do; they may be a mix of different orogeny, for example volcanoes, uplifted mountains or Fold mountains...
 that stretches from west to east across northern Alaska
Alaska

Alaska is the largest U.S. state of 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 into Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
's Yukon Territory, a total distance of about 1100 km (700 mi). The mountains top out at over 2,700 m (9,000 ft). Mount Chamberlin
Mount Chamberlin (Alaska)

Mount Chamberlin is the highest peak in the Brooks Range of northern Alaska in the United States. It is the highest peak for over 500 miles ; however, due to its remote location, it sees little climbing activity....
, 9020 ft (2,749 m), is the highest peak in the range. Other notable peaks include Mount Isto, 8,975 ft (2,736 m) and Mount Michelson
Mount Michelson (Brooks Range)

Mount Michelson is a high peak in the Romanzof Mountains, part of the Brooks Range of northern Alaska in the United States. It is located about east of the highest peak in the range, Mount Chamberlin ....
, 8,855 ft (2,699 m).

The range is mostly uninhabited, but 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, Alaska, and ends at Deadhorse, Alaska near the Arctic Ocean and the Prudhoe Bay, Alaska petroleum fields....
 and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System
Trans-Alaska Pipeline System

The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System , usually called the Alyeska Pipeline in Alaska or the Alaska Pipeline elsewhere, is a major United States Petroleum pipeline transport connecting oil fields in Alaska's North Slope to a North Pacific seaport where the oil can be shipped to the Lower 48 states for refining....
 run through the Atigun Pass
Atigun Pass

Atigun Pass is a high mountain pass across the Brooks Range in Alaska. While famous among Bush flying for difficulty of crossing the pass with small planes , it is the only pass in the Brooks Range that is crossed by a road ....
 (1,415 m, 4,643 ft) on their way to the North Slope
Alaska North Slope

The Alaska North Slope is the region of the U.S. state of Alaska located on the northern slope of the Brooks Range along the coast of two marginal seas of the Arctic Ocean, the Chukchi Sea being on the western side of Point Barrow, and the Beaufort Sea on the eastern....
 and the oil field
Oil field

An oil field is a region with an abundance of oil wells extracting petroleum from below ground. Because the oil reservoirs typically extend over a large area, possibly several hundred kilometres across, full exploitation entails multiple wells scattered across the area....
s at Prudhoe Bay.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Brooks Range'
Start a new discussion about 'Brooks Range'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


The Brooks Range is a mountain range
Mountain range

A mountain range is a chain of mountains bordered by highlands or separated from other mountains by mountain pass or valleys. Individual mountains within the same mountain range do not necessarily have the same geology, though they often do; they may be a mix of different orogeny, for example volcanoes, uplifted mountains or Fold mountains...
 that stretches from west to east across northern Alaska
Alaska

Alaska is the largest U.S. state of 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 into Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
's Yukon Territory, a total distance of about 1100 km (700 mi). The mountains top out at over 2,700 m (9,000 ft). Mount Chamberlin
Mount Chamberlin (Alaska)

Mount Chamberlin is the highest peak in the Brooks Range of northern Alaska in the United States. It is the highest peak for over 500 miles ; however, due to its remote location, it sees little climbing activity....
, 9020 ft (2,749 m), is the highest peak in the range. Other notable peaks include Mount Isto, 8,975 ft (2,736 m) and Mount Michelson
Mount Michelson (Brooks Range)

Mount Michelson is a high peak in the Romanzof Mountains, part of the Brooks Range of northern Alaska in the United States. It is located about east of the highest peak in the range, Mount Chamberlin ....
, 8,855 ft (2,699 m).

The range is mostly uninhabited, but 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, Alaska, and ends at Deadhorse, Alaska near the Arctic Ocean and the Prudhoe Bay, Alaska petroleum fields....
 and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System
Trans-Alaska Pipeline System

The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System , usually called the Alyeska Pipeline in Alaska or the Alaska Pipeline elsewhere, is a major United States Petroleum pipeline transport connecting oil fields in Alaska's North Slope to a North Pacific seaport where the oil can be shipped to the Lower 48 states for refining....
 run through the Atigun Pass
Atigun Pass

Atigun Pass is a high mountain pass across the Brooks Range in Alaska. While famous among Bush flying for difficulty of crossing the pass with small planes , it is the only pass in the Brooks Range that is crossed by a road ....
 (1,415 m, 4,643 ft) on their way to the North Slope
Alaska North Slope

The Alaska North Slope is the region of the U.S. state of Alaska located on the northern slope of the Brooks Range along the coast of two marginal seas of the Arctic Ocean, the Chukchi Sea being on the western side of Point Barrow, and the Beaufort Sea on the eastern....
 and the oil field
Oil field

An oil field is a region with an abundance of oil wells extracting petroleum from below ground. Because the oil reservoirs typically extend over a large area, possibly several hundred kilometres across, full exploitation entails multiple wells scattered across the area....
s at Prudhoe Bay. The Alaska Native villages of Anaktuvuk
Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska

Anaktuvuk Pass is a city and mountain pass in North Slope Borough, Alaska, Alaska, United States. The population was 249 at the 2007 Census Bureau estimate....
 and Arctic Village
Arctic Village, Alaska

Arctic Village is a census-designated place in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, Alaska, United States. As of the United States Census, 2000, the population of the CDP is 152....
, as well as the very small communities of Coldfoot
Coldfoot, Alaska

Coldfoot is a census-designated place in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska in the U.S. state of Alaska. The population was 13 at the United States Census, 2000....
, Wiseman
Wiseman, Alaska

Wiseman is a census-designated place in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, Alaska, United States. The population was 21 at the 2000 United States Census....
, Bettles
Bettles, Alaska

Bettles is a city in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, Alaska, United States. The population was 43 at the 2000 United States Census....
, and Chandalar Lake are the only settlements in the 700-mile Brooks Range. In the far west, near the Wulik River in the De Long Mountains is the Red Dog Mine, Alaska
Red Dog Mine, Alaska

Red Dog Mine is a census-designated place in the Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska of the U.S. state of Alaska. The population was 32 at the United States Census, 2000....
, largest zinc mine in the world.

The range was named by the United States Board on Geographic Names
United States Board on Geographic Names

The United States Board on Geographic Names is a United States Federal government of the United States body whose purpose is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geography names throughout the government of the United States....
 in 1925 after Alfred Hulse Brooks
Alfred Hulse Brooks

Alfred Hulse Brooks was an American Geologist and served as chief geologist for Alaska for the United States Geological Survey from 1903 to 1924....
, who was the chief USGS
United States Geological Survey

The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it....
 geologist for Alaska from 1903 to 1924.

Various historical records also referred to the range as the Arctic Mountains, Hooper Mountains, Meade Mountains and Meade River Mountains; the Canadian portion is still often referred to as the British Mountains. The British Mountains are part of Ivvavik National Park
Ivvavik National Park

Ivvavik National Park is a national park located in the Yukon, Canada. Meaning "nursery" or "birthplace" in Inuvialuktun, this was the first national park to be established as a result of a land claim agreement with its natives....
.

Ecology

This mountain range forms the northern-most drainage divide
Continental Divide

The Continental Divide of the Americas, or merely the Continental Divide or Great Divide, is the name given to the principal, and largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas that separates the drainage basin that drain into the Pacific Ocean from, 1) those river systems which drain into the Atlantic Ocean , and 2)...
 in North America, separating streams flowing into the Arctic Ocean and the North Pacific. The range roughly delineates the summer position of the Arctic front. It represents the northern extent of tree line, with few trees (apart from some isolated Balsam poplar
Balsam poplar

The balsam poplars Populus sect. Tacamahaca are a group of about 10 species of poplars, indigenous to North America and eastern Asia, distinguished by the balsam scent of their buds, the whitish undersides of their leaf, and the leaf petiole being round in cross-section....
 stands) occurring north of the continental drainage divide. The southern slopes of the Brooks Range have some cover of Black Spruce
Black Spruce

Picea mariana is a species of spruce native to northern North America, from Newfoundland west to Alaska, and south to northern New York, Minnesota and central British Columbia....
, Picea mariana, marking the northern limit of that tree. As one of the most remote and least-disturbed wildernesses of North America, the mountains are teeming with wildlife, including Dall sheep
Dall Sheep

The Dall Sheep , Ovis dalli, is a species of Ovis native to northwestern North America, ranging from white to slate brown in color and having curved yellowish brown horns....
, grizzly bear
Grizzly Bear

The grizzly bear ', also known as the silvertip bear, is a subspecies of brown bear ' that lives in the uplands of western North America....
s, and caribou.

Documented wilderness traverses of the Brooks Range

  • Dick Griffith -- Kaktovik to Kotzebue
    Kotzebue

    Kotzebue is the name of the following people:*August von Kotzebue, dramatist*Otto von Kotzebue, navigatorKotzebue is also the name of a place:...
    , Alaska (1959-1979) by foot, raft, and kayak: first documented traverse.
  • Roman Dial -- Kaktovik to Kotzebue
    Kotzebue

    Kotzebue is the name of the following people:*August von Kotzebue, dramatist*Otto von Kotzebue, navigatorKotzebue is also the name of a place:...
    , Alaska (1986) by skis, foot, packraft
    Packraft

    Packraft and trail boat are colloquial terms for a small, portable inflatable boat designed for use in large and/or natural bodies of water, including technical whitewater....
     and kayak
    Kayak

    A kayak is a small human-powered boat. It typically has a covered deck, and a cockpit covered by a spraydeck. The kayak was used by the native Ainu people, Aleuts and Eskimo hunters in sub-Arctic regions of northeastern Asia, North America and Greenland....
    : first traverse in one year.
  • Keith Nyitray -- Fort McPherson, Northwest Territories, Canada to Kotzebue
    Kotzebue

    Kotzebue is the name of the following people:*August von Kotzebue, dramatist*Otto von Kotzebue, navigatorKotzebue is also the name of a place:...
     (1989-1990) by dog sled, snowshoes, foot, raft, and canoe: first continuous traverse of the entire range. 1,500 trail miles from Canada
    Canada

    Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
     to Kotzebue. See April '93 issue of "National Geographic."
  • Thor Tingey, Phillip Weidner, Sam Newburry, Dan Dryden -- Marsh Fork Canning River to Kobuk
    Kobuk

    Kobuk may refer to:* Kobuk, Alaska* Kobuk River, in Alaska...
     (2000) by foot and packraft.
  • Dennis Schmitt
    Dennis Schmitt

    Dennis Schmitt , is a veteran explorer from University of California, Berkeley who, in 2005, discovered a new island formed by the retreat of an ice shelf in East Greenland....
     -- Point Hope, Alaska to Mackenzie River
    Mackenzie River

    The Mackenzie River originates in Great Slave Lake, in the Northwest Territories, and flows north into the Arctic Ocean. It is the longest river in Canada at 1,738 km and, together with its headstreams the Peace River and the Finlay River, the second longest river in North America at 4,241 km in length....
    , Northwest Territories
    Northwest Territories

    The Northwest Territories are a provinces and territories of Canada of Canada.Located in northern Canada, it borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south....
     (1966-2001) by foot and dog sled: longest and first full length traverse.
  • Peter Vacco -- Bonnet Lake to Cape Lisburne (2003) by snowshoe and foot: first continuous foot traverse from Canada
    Canada

    Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
    .
  • Roman Dial -- Kivalina to 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, Alaska, and ends at Deadhorse, Alaska near the Arctic Ocean and the Prudhoe Bay, Alaska petroleum fields....
     without resupply (2006) by foot: fastest traverse (624 miles in 22 days, 7 hours, 40 minutes).
  • Bruce Nelson -- Yukon
    Yukon

    Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada three Territories of Canada. It was named after the Yukon River, Yukon meaning "Great River" in Gwich?in language....
     border to Kotzebue
    Kotzebue

    Kotzebue is the name of the following people:*August von Kotzebue, dramatist*Otto von Kotzebue, navigatorKotzebue is also the name of a place:...
     Sound (2006) by foot and raft.
  • The range is believed to be approximately 126 million years old.


Films

  • 2007 - Gates of the Arctic: Alaska's Brooks Range


See also

  • Richardson Mountains
    Richardson Mountains

    The Richardson Mountains are a mountain range located west of the mouth of the Mackenzie River in northern Yukon, Canada. They parallel the northernmost part of the boundary of the Yukon and Northwest Territories....


Further reading

  • Witmer, Dennis "Far to the North: Photographs from the Brooks Range" Far to the North Press (2008) ISBN 0977102807
  • Kauffmann, John M. "Alaska's Brooks Range: The Ultimate Mountains" (Second Edition) Mountaineers Books (2005) ISBN 1594850089
  • Brown, William E. "History of the Central Brooks Range: Gaunt Beauty, Tenuous Life" University of Alaska Press (2007) ISBN 1602230099
  • Cooper, David "Brooks Range Passage" Mountaineers Books (1983) ISBN 089886061X
  • Dover, J.H., I.L. Tailleur, and J.A. Dumoulin. (2004). Geologic and fossil locality maps of the west-central part of the Howard Pass quadrangle and part of the adjacent Misheguk Mountain quadrangle, Western Brooks Range, Alaska [Miscellaneous Field Studies; Map MF-2413]. Reston, VA: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
  • Krumhardt, A.P., A.G. Harris, and K.F. Watts. (1996). Lithostratigraphy, microlithofacies, and conodont biostratigraphy and biofacies of the Wahoo Limestone (Carboniferous), eastern Sadlerochit Mountains, northeast Brooks Range, Alaska . Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
  • Marshall, R. (1970). Alaska wilderness; exploring the Central Brooks Range 2nd ed. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0520244982
  • Morin, R.L. (1997). Gravity and magnetic maps of part of the Drenchwater Creek stratiform zinc-lead-silver deposit, Howard Pass quadrangle, northwestern Brooks Range, Alaska . Menlo Park, CA: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
  • Morin, R.L. (1997). Gravity models of Abby Creek and Bion barite deposits, Howard Pass quadrangle, northwestern Brooks Range, Alaska [U.S. Geological Survey Open-file Report 97-705]. Menlo Park, CA: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
  • Mull, C.G. et al. (1994). Geologic map of the Killik River quadrangle, Brooks Range, Alaska [U.S. Geological Survey Open-file Report 94-679]. Reston, VA: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
  • Nelson, P.H. et al. (2006). Potential tight gas resources in a frontier province, Jurassic through Tertiary strata beneath the Brooks Range foothills, Arctic Alaska . Reston, VA: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
  • U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey. (2003). The natural dispersal of metals to the environment in the Wulik River-Ikalukrok Creek area, western Brooks Range, Alaska . Reston, VA: author.
  • U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey. (1995). Natural environmental effects of silver-lead-zinc deposits in the Brooks Range, Alaska . Reston, VA: author.