Mount Denison is a

stratovolcano A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a conical volcano built up by many layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with a summit crater and per ...

and one of the highest peaks on the

Alaska Peninsula The Alaska Peninsula (also called Aleut Peninsula or Aleutian Peninsula, ale, Alasxix̂; Sugpiaq: ''Aluuwiq'', ''Al'uwiq'') is a peninsula extending about to the southwest from the mainland of Alaska and ending in the Aleutian Islands. The ...

. Discovered in 1923 by

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

professor

Kirtley Fletcher Mather Kirtley Fletcher Mather (February 13, 1888May 5, 1978) was an American geologist and faculty member at Harvard University. An expert on petroleum geology and mineralogy, Mather was a prominent scholar, advocate for academic freedom, social activi ...

, the mountain was named for the geologist's alma mater,

Denison University Denison University is a private liberal arts college in Granville, Ohio. One of the earliest colleges established in the former Northwest Territory, Denison University was founded in 1831. The college was first called the Granville Literary and ...

. The mountain's connection to Denison also include its first climbers: all members of the first two ascent teams as well as the group that attempted in 1977 were either students, alumni, or faculty of the university. Mount Denison is located at the end of a volcanic chain in a heavily glaciated and very remote section of

Katmai National Park Katmai National Park and Preserve is an American national park and preserve in southwest Alaska, notable for the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes and for its brown bears. The park and preserve encompass , which is between the sizes of Connecticut ...

. It is possibly the tallest mountain in the national park, though some sources list

Mount Griggs Mount Griggs, formerly known as Knife Peak Volcano, is a stratovolcano, which lies 10 km behind the volcanic arc defined by other Katmai group volcanoes. Although no historic eruptions have been reported from Mount Griggs, vigorously active ...

as the highest. Mount Griggs, on the other hand, is much more accessible, being next to the

Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes is a valley within Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska which is filled with ash flow from the eruption of Novarupta on June 6–8, 1912. Following the eruption, thousands of fumaroles vented steam fro ...

, which can be reached via the road from the national park's visitor center. There is no record of an eruption, but Mount Denison was probably active some time in the last 10,000 years (the

Holocene The Holocene ( ) is the current geological epoch. It began approximately 11,650 cal years Before Present (), after the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene togethe ...

epoch).

Notes

External links

* Mountains of Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska Volcanoes of Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska Volcanoes of Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska Mountains of Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska Mountains of Alaska Volcanoes of Alaska Stratovolcanoes of the United States Highest points of United States national parks Aleutian Range {{LakeandPeninsulaAK-geo-stub

See also

Notes

External links