Active Geology

Alaska's parks have active geologic features such as surging and retreating glaciers, simmering volcanoes, thawing permafrost, geological hazards (such as landslides), and fossils that tell us about the active geology of the past and present.
Mt Magiek, Katmai National Park.
Volcanoes

Volcanoes have shaped the landscape in many Alaska parks.

Tidewater glacier
Glaciers

Glaciers are a main feature of some Alaska parks. The National Park Service monitors glaciers and documents retreats and surges.

Exposed yedoma permafrost along an eroding coastline.
Permafrost

Permafrost underlies Alaska's Arctic parks and parts of other interior parks; it influences many facets of park ecosystems.

Aerial view of a landslide.
Geohazards

Learn more about geohazards, including debris flow events in Wrangell-St Elias National Park and Preserve.

Fossil rock
Fossils

Alaska's parks have fossils not found in other regions of the National Park System. They can tell us about the active geology of the past.

Geologic Resource Inventories (GRI) provide parks with digital geologic map data and a park-specific geologic report. These products are designed to enhance stewardship of park resources by providing valuable information about geologic formations, hazards, and links between geology, history, and other natural resources. The following are links to GRIs completed for Alaska parks.

Source: Data Store Collection 8086. To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.

Geodiversity Atlases for Alaska's Parks

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    Last updated: January 5, 2024