- Misty Fjords National Monument
Infobox_protected_area | name = Misty Fjords National Monument
iucn_category = IV
caption =
locator_x = 57
locator_y = 172
location = Prince of Wales-Outer Ketchikan Census Area and Ketchikan Gateway Borough,Alaska , USA
nearest_city = Ketchikan, AK
lat_degrees = 55
lat_minutes = 37
lat_seconds = 18
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 130
long_minutes = 36
long_seconds = 26
long_direction = W
area = 2,294,343 acres (9,246 km²)
established =December 1 ,1978
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
governing_body =U.S. Forest Service Misty Fjords National Monument was createdDecember 1 ,1978 , and covers 2,294,343 acres (9,246 km²) ofTongass National Forest in the Panhandle of southeastAlaska . All but 151,832 acres (614 km²) is designatedwilderness ; Congress reserved the non-wilderness area for the Quartz Hillmolybdenum deposit, possibly the largest such mineral deposit in the world. The monument is administered by theU.S. Forest Service , an agency within theU.S. Department of Agriculture .The area is called "The Yosemite of the North" for its similar geology. Light-colored
granite , about 50 to 70 million years old (Eocene Epoch toCretaceous Period) has been sculpted byglacier s that gouged deep U-shaped troughs throughout the monument. Many of the glacial valleys are filled with sea water and are called "canals", but they are not man-made in any way; the walls of these valleys are near-vertical and often rise 2,000 to 3,000 feet (600 to 900 m) above sea level, and drop 1,000 feet (300 m) below it. Because of the remoteness of the area, most visitors arrive bycruise ship or fly over the monument in touristaircraft from Ketchikan orJuneau, Alaska .The region was first visited by Europeans in 1793 whenGeorge Vancouver sailed throughBehm Canal , the prominent sea-filled glacial trough along the western margin of the monument and separating it fromRevillagigedo Island . Vancouver discovered New Eddystone Rock, a 237 foot (72 m) tall column ofbasalt in the middle of Behm Canal. It was formed within the past 5 million years byvolcanic activity, evidence for which is scattered sparsely through the monument, including alava flow high above Punchbowl Cove, and at Blue River in the far northern part of the monument near the Canadian border.Across from the Salmon River and Portland Canal and the settlement of
Hyder, Alaska , small glaciers occupy high areas of the northeast part of the monument. Soule and Through Glaciers cover high plateaus and valleys in the Lincoln and Seward Mountains, where one peak rises to 6,250 feet (1,900 m) abovesea level . Most mountain tops in the monument are in the 4,000 to 5,000 foot (1,200 to 1,500 m) elevation range.Tree line is usually around 2,700 feet (800 m).Western Hemlock ,Sitka Spruce and Western Redcedar dominate the prolificrainforest vegetation; wildlife in abundance includes both Grizzly and Black Bears, many species ofsalmon ,whale s,mountain goat s, anddeer .External links
* [http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/tongass/forest_facts/resources/wilderness/misty.shtml U.S. Forest Service: Misty Fjords National Monument] (official website)
* [http://gorp.away.com/gorp/resource/us_wilderness_area/ak_misty.htm Overview of Misty Fjords]
* [http://www.wilderness.net/index.cfm?fuse=NWPS&sec=wildView&wid=361&tab=General&CFID=1705275&CFTOKEN=77553485 Misty Fjords Wilderness]
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