Aleutian Islands

The Aleutian Islands (possibly from Chukchi aliat, "island") are a chain of more than 300 small volcanic islands forming an island arc situated in the Northern Pacific Ocean, and extending about 1,900 km (1,200 mi) westward from the extremity of the Alaskan peninsula toward the Kamchatka Peninsula. Nearly all of the archipelago is part of the American state of Alaska and usually considered as being in the Alaskan Bush, but the extreme western end is part of Russia. The islands with their 57 volcanoes are located in the northern part of the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Geography

The islands, known before 1867 as the Catherine Archipelago, comprise four groups— the Fox, Andreanof, Rat and Near Islands. They are all located between 52 degrees and 55 degrees North latitude and 172 degrees East and 163 degrees West longitude.

Related Topics:
Fox - Andreanof - Rat - Near Islands

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The axis of the archipelago near the mainland of Alaska has a southwest trend, but near the 129th meridian its direction changes to the northwest. This change of direction corresponds to a curve in the line of volcanic fissures which have contributed their products to the building of the islands. Such curved chains are repeated about the Pacific Ocean in the Kuril Islands, the Japanese chain and in the Philippines. All these island arcs are at the edge of the Pacific Plate and experience lots of seismic activity, but are still habitable; the Aleutians lie between the Pacific and North American tectonic plates. The general elevation is greatest in the eastern islands and least in the western. The island chain is really a western continuation of the Aleutian Range on the mainland.

Related Topics:
Volcanic - Kuril Islands - Japanese - Philippines - Pacific Plate - Seismic - Tectonic plates - Aleutian Range

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The great majority of the islands bear evident marks of volcanic origin, and there are numerous volcanic cones on the north side of the chain, some of them active; many of the islands, however, are not wholly volcanic, but contain crystalline or sedimentary rocks, and also amber and beds of lignite. The coasts are rocky and surf-worn, and the approaches are exceedingly dangerous, the land rising immediately from the coasts to steep, bold mountains.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The volcano Makushin (5691 ft/1,735 m) is visible from Unalaska, and the volcanic islets Bogoslof and Grewingk, which rose from the sea in 1796 and 1883 respectively, lie about 30 miles (48 km) west of the bay.

Related Topics:
Makushin - Unalaska - Bogoslof - Grewingk

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~