Bendeleben Mountains facts for kids
The Bendeleben Mountains are a mountain range in Alaska, United States. They are located in the middle of the Seward Peninsula in the Nome area. These mountains are very important because they separate rivers that flow into the Pacific Ocean from rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean.
The highest point in the range is Mount Bendeleben. It stands about 3,730 feet (1,137 meters) tall and is found on the western side of the mountains. Some parts of the Bendeleben Mountains are inside the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve. The Tubutulik River also flows through this area.
Exploring the Bendeleben Mountains
Mount Bendeleben is the tallest peak on the Seward Peninsula, except for the Kigluaik Mountains. Geologists, who are scientists who study rocks and land, began studying these mountains a long time ago. In the early 1900s, they found that the rocks here were special. They named them the Bendeleben Mountains because of their unique rock types.
These mountains are very rugged, meaning they have rough and uneven land. They have sharp, deep valleys and many glacial cirques. A glacial cirque is a bowl-shaped hollow carved by a glacier. The mountains near the Fish River are mostly made of granite. But along their sides, you can also find areas of schist, which is a type of layered rock.
Plants and Trees
The Bendeleben Mountains are home to different types of plants. On the southern side of the mountains, you can find scattered spruce trees. These trees grow in the valley of the Niukluk River as far west as the Libby River. Eastward from there, spruce trees grow along all the streams.
On the northern side of the Bendeleben Mountains, spruce trees are found in the valley of the Koyuk River. They grow west to an area near Timber Creek and to the streams that lead towards Kiwalik Mountain. Interestingly, spruce trees grow much farther west on the southern side of the Bendeleben Mountains than they do on the northern side.
