Ingakslugwat Hills facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ingakslugwat Hills |
|
|---|---|
Landsat image
|
|
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 623 ft (190 m) |
| Listing | List of volcanoes in the United States of America |
| Geography | |
| Location | Alaska, United States |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | Holocene |
| Mountain type | Cinder cones |
| Last eruption | Unknown |
The Ingakslugwat Hills are a special area in western Alaska where many volcanoes are found. This area is called a volcanic field. It is located in the Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta.
This volcanic field has eight large craters. It also has about thirty smaller cone-shaped hills. These hills are made of volcanic ash and rocks. The whole area covers about 500 square kilometers.
Contents
What Are the Ingakslugwat Hills?
The Ingakslugwat Hills are home to unique volcanoes. These are long ridges, up to 7 kilometers (about 4.3 miles) long. They can be as tall as 400 meters (about 1,300 feet). They are made from volcanic material like ash and small rocks.
These special volcanoes likely formed in a unique way. They grew when hot magma (melted rock) met permafrost. Permafrost is ground that stays frozen all year. This meeting caused explosive eruptions. Even though they are high above water, they formed like volcanoes that erupt in water.
Where Are the Ingakslugwat Hills Located?
The Ingakslugwat Hills are about 35 miles (56 kilometers) north of Baird Inlet. The volcanoes here rise about 600 feet (180 meters) above the flat lands around them. Many of them have small lakes inside their craters. These are called crater lakes.
The height of the smaller volcanic cones varies a lot. Some are only 8 meters (26 feet) tall. Others can reach up to 190 meters (623 feet) high.
When Were These Volcanoes Active?
The volcanoes in the Ingakslugwat Hills were active a long time ago. They erupted between 1 million and 700,000 years ago. However, some scientists think the most recent eruptions might have happened more recently. This recent period is known as the Holocene age. The Holocene age started about 11,700 years ago and continues to today.
The volcanoes are mostly made of a type of rock called basalt. Basalt is a common dark, fine-grained volcanic rock. Other volcanic areas nearby include Nelson Island and the Kusilvak Mountains.
What Are the Rocks Made Of?
The main type of volcanic rock found here is olivine basalt. Olivine is a green mineral often found in basalt. You can also find other types of volcanic rocks. These include basanite and nephelinite. These rocks are all formed from magma that cooled after an eruption.
