Innuitian Mountains on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
The Innuitian Mountains are a
The Innuitian Mountains' present form was shaped during the Innuitian orogeny in the middle of the Mesozoic Era when the North American Plate moved northward. The Innuitian Mountains contain igneous rock, igneous and metamorphic rocks, but for the most part are composed of sedimentary rock. They are younger than the Appalachian Mountains, Appalachians, so erosion has not yet rounded them significantly.
The Innuitian Mountains resemble the Appalachian Mountains in composition and contain similar types of minerals. The mineral resources have not been greatly exploited, due to the cost of developing such a remote region while cheaper alternatives are available elsewhere. The amount of resources in the Arctic Region is estimated to have 13% of all the world's oil and 30% of the world's gas reserves.
mountain range
A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...
in Nunavut
Nunavut ( , ; iu, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ , ; ) is the largest and northernmost Provinces and territories of Canada#Territories, territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the ''Nunavut Act'' ...
and the Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...
, Canada. They are part of the Arctic Cordillera
The Arctic Cordillera is a terrestrial ecozone in northern Canada characterized by a vast, deeply dissected chain of mountain ranges extending along the northeastern flank of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago from Ellesmere Island to the northeas ...
and are largely unexplored, due to the hostile climate. They are named after the northern indigenous people, the Inuit
Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories ...
. In some locations the Innuitian Mountains measure over in height, and in length. The highest point is Barbeau Peak __NOTOC__
Barbeau Peak is a mountain in Qikiqtaaluk, Nunavut, Canada. Located on Ellesmere Island within Quttinirpaaq National Park, it is the highest mountain in Nunavut and the Canadian Arctic. The mountain was named in 1969 after Marius Barbeau ...
on Ellesmere Island
Ellesmere Island ( iu, script=Latn, Umingmak Nuna, lit=land of muskoxen; french: île d'Ellesmere) is Canada's northernmost and List of Canadian islands by area, third largest island, and the List of islands by area, tenth largest in the world. ...
at . There are no tree
In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...
s and minimal wildlife in the Innuitian Mountains due to the harsh cold climate as well as being located north of the Arctic tree line
The tree line is the edge of the habitat at which trees are capable of growing. It is found at high elevations and high latitudes. Beyond the tree line, trees cannot tolerate the environmental conditions (usually cold temperatures, extreme snowp ...
. This region is mostly barren with vast areas of permafrost
Permafrost is ground that continuously remains below 0 °C (32 °F) for two or more years, located on land or under the ocean. Most common in the Northern Hemisphere, around 15% of the Northern Hemisphere or 11% of the global surface ...
. There are metallic mineral resource
Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest and cultural value. O ...
s including iron and zinc and fossil fuel resources such as coal.
The Innuitian Mountains consist of numerous smaller mountain ranges. Some of these are the British Empire Range, the Princess Margaret Range and the United States Range, which is the world's second most Northern mountain range after the Challenger Mountains.
The Innuitian Mountains were first seen by European explorers in 1882 by the explorer Adolphus Greely from Lake Hazen.
Geology
The Innuitian Mountains' present form was shaped during the Innuitian orogeny in the middle of the Mesozoic Era when the North American Plate moved northward. The Innuitian Mountains contain igneous rock, igneous and metamorphic rocks, but for the most part are composed of sedimentary rock. They are younger than the Appalachian Mountains, Appalachians, so erosion has not yet rounded them significantly.
The Innuitian Mountains resemble the Appalachian Mountains in composition and contain similar types of minerals. The mineral resources have not been greatly exploited, due to the cost of developing such a remote region while cheaper alternatives are available elsewhere. The amount of resources in the Arctic Region is estimated to have 13% of all the world's oil and 30% of the world's gas reserves.
See also
*List of mountain rangesReferences
*Clark, Bruce W. and Wallace, John K. ''Making Connections: Canada's Geography'', Pearson Education Canada; 1st Edition 1999 {{Mountain ranges of Nunavut Geology of Canada Mountain ranges of the Northwest Territories Arctic Cordillera