Tanada Peak
Tanada Peak is a mountain summit in the US state of Alaska.
Description
Tanada Peak is located in the Wrangell Mountains and within Wrangell–St. Elias [National Park and Preserve], with the west slope in the park and east slope in the preserve. Tanada ranks as the 21st-highest peak in the preserve and 53rd-highest in the park. It is situated northeast of the Copper Glacier terminus and southwest of Nabesna. The remote mountain can be seen from the Nabesna Road. Precipitation runoff and glacial meltwater from the mountain drains into tributaries of the Copper River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises above Goat Creek valley in. The mountain's name was applied in 1902 by David C. Witherspoon, U.S. Geological Survey topographer, in association with nearby Tanada Lake, and the toponym has been officially adopted by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. The lake's name comes from an Ahtna word reported in 1899 by W.J. Peters of the USGS. "Tanada" from Ahtna language translates as "moving water lake."
Geology
Tanada Peak is the erosional remnant of Tanada Volcano which was an andesitic shield volcano which probably began forming 1.5 million years ago, with the last eruption occurring 970,000 years ago. Prior to one million years ago, the shield collapsed, forming a caldera. The peak is now the high point within a caldera measuring. An unnamed glacier in the caldera on the peak's southwest slope is a small remnant of the much larger glaciers that once covered the volcano and carved away much of the shield.
Climate
Based on the Köppen climate classification, Tanada Peak is located in a tundra climate zone, with long, cold, snowy winters, and cool summers. Weather systems coming off the Gulf of Alaska are forced upwards by the Wrangell Mountains, causing heavy precipitation in the form of rainfall and snowfall. Winter temperatures can drop below -10 °F with wind chill factors below −20 °F. This climate supports an unnamed glacier and permanent ice surrounding the peak.