Geologic Map of Baranof Island, Southeastern Alaska

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Geologic Map of Baranof Island, Southeastern Alaska Geologic Map of Baranof Island, Southeastern Alaska By Susan M. Karl, Peter J. Haeussler, Glen R. Himmelberg, Cathy L. Zumsteg, Paul W. Layer, Richard M. Friedman, Sarah M. Roeske, and Lawrence W. Snee Pamphlet to accompany Scientific Investigations Map 3335 2015 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior SALLY JEWELL, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey Suzette M. Kimball, Acting Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2015 For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment—visit http://www.usgs.gov/ or call 1–888–ASK–USGS (1–888–275–8747). For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod/. To order USGS information products, visit http://store.usgs.gov/. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also may contain copyrighted materials as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items must be secured from the copyright owner. Suggested citation: Karl, S.M., Haeussler, P.J., Himmelberg, G.R., Zumsteg, C.L., Layer, P.W., Friedman, R.M., Roeske, S.M., and Snee, L.W., 2015, Geologic map of Baranof Island, southeastern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 3335, 82 p., 1 sheet, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sim3335. ISSN 2329-132X (online) ii Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2 Previous Investigations ................................................................................................................................................... 3 Geology of Baranof Island .............................................................................................................................................. 4 Paleozoic Rocks ......................................................................................................................................................... 5 Mesozoic Rocks .......................................................................................................................................................... 8 Cenozoic Rocks ........................................................................................................................................................ 14 Deformation and Metamorphism .................................................................................................................................. 17 M1: Pre-Late Triassic Regional Deformation and Amphibolite to Greenschist Facies Metamorphism ...................... 18 M2: Early Jurassic Thermal Metamorphism Related to Pluton Emplacement (~192 Ma) ......................................... 18 M3: Middle to Late Jurassic Metamorphism Related to Pluton Emplacement (~173–155 Ma) ................................. 18 M4: Early Late Jurassic Deformation and Greenschist Facies Metamorphism (≥155 Ma) ........................................ 19 M5: Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous Deformation and Metamorphism (144 Ma) ...................................................... 19 M6: Middle Cretaceous Deformation and Blueschist-Greenschist Facies Metamorphism (91–109 Ma) ................... 20 M7: Late Cretaceous Prehnite-Pumpellyite Facies Metamorphism (≥74 Ma) ........................................................... 21 M8: Early Eocene Deformation and Amphibolite Facies Metamorphism................................................................... 21 M9: Late Early Eocene Thermal Metamorphism (~50 Ma) ........................................................................................ 22 M10: Middle Eocene to Early Oligocene Thermal Metamorphism (~43 Ma) ............................................................. 23 M11: Late Oligocene Thermal Metamorphism Related To Pluton Emplacement (~26 Ma) ...................................... 24 Faults ............................................................................................................................................................................ 25 Border Ranges Fault ................................................................................................................................................. 25 Peril Strait Fault ........................................................................................................................................................ 26 Chatham Strait Fault ................................................................................................................................................. 27 Fairweather-Queen Charlotte Fault ........................................................................................................................... 27 Patterson Bay Fault .................................................................................................................................................. 28 Neva Strait-Silver Bay Fault ...................................................................................................................................... 29 Hot Springs ................................................................................................................................................................... 29 Summary and Discussion ............................................................................................................................................. 29 Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................................................ 33 Description of Map Units............................................................................................................................................... 34 Stratigraphic Map Units ............................................................................................................................................. 34 Baranof Accretionary Complex .............................................................................................................................. 38 Wrangellia Terrane ................................................................................................................................................ 51 Intrusive Rock Units .................................................................................................................................................. 57 Alexander Terrane................................................................................................................................................. 63 Wrangellia Terrane ................................................................................................................................................ 64 References Cited .......................................................................................................................................................... 67 Figures Figure 1. Map showing generalized tectonostratigraphic terranes of Alaska .............................................................. 5 Figure 2. Generalized tectonostratigraphic terrane map of southeastern Alaska showing faults that bound the Baranof-Chichagof block. ............................................................................................................................ 6 iii Figure 3. Trace-element geochemical diagrams comparing the chemistry of the Triassic greenstone on Baranof Island to the chemistry of the Goon Dip Greenstone on Chichagof Island, the Nikolai Greenstone in the Wrangell Mountains, and the Karmutsen Formation on Vancouver Island .................... 9 Tables Table 1. Geochronologic data ......................................................................................................................... web only Table 2. Geochronologic data for detrital zircon samples. Data from Haeussler and others (2006) ......................... 80 Table 3. Paleontologic data ...................................................................................................................................... 82 Table 4. Geochemical data ............................................................................................................................. web only iv Geologic Map of Baranof Island, Southeastern Alaska By Susan M. Karl, Peter J. Haeussler, Glen R. Himmelberg, Cathy L. Zumsteg, Paul W. Layer, Richard M. Friedman, Sarah M. Roeske, and Lawrence W. Snee Abstract This map updates the geology of Baranof Island based on fieldwork, petrographic analyses, paleontologic ages, and isotopic ages. These new data provide constraints on depositional and metamorphic ages of lithostratigraphic rock units and the timing of structures that separate them. Kinematic analyses and thermobarometric calculations provide insights on the regional tectonic processes that affected the rocks on Baranof Island. The rocks on Baranof Island consist of Paleozoic to Cenozoic volcanic, sedimentary, and intrusive igneous rocks that are part of a volcanic island arc. Detailed mapping, petrologic
Recommended publications
  • Glacial Change on Baranof Island: Quantifying Local-Level Impact of Climate Change
    Glacial Change on Baranof Island: Quantifying Local-level Impact of Climate Change Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, Chandler Kemp, Eli Bildner Overview The glaciers of Baranof Island – the only glaciated island in Southeast Alaska – are small, disparate, and sensitive to climatic change due to the temperate climate in which they are situated. We propose to quantify the change in area of a selection of Baranof Island glaciers over recent history by gathering geospatial data, calculating the perimeter and surface area of the glaciers, using a model to estimate glacial volume, and then comparing our findings against the historical record – historical USGS field measurements, historical aerial photographs, tree core data, and geomorphological indicators such as terminal moraines and trim lines. We will then quantify historical change of surface area and perimeter, and if sufficient historical data points are available, we will also calculate a rate of change (both for surface area and extent of the terminus) and predict future glacial advance or retreat. Methodology Targeted Glaciers We will gather data for two subsets of glaciers, one subset from mid-Baranof Island, one subset from the South Baranof Wilderness Area. The first subset of glaciers will consist of two glaciers from mid-Baranof Island, both on or near the Cross-Baranof Island Trail and well known by users of the Sitka Community Use Area. These glaciers are indicated in map attachment 1 – a small valley glacier north of Glacier Lake and a modest icefield north of the Baranof River valley. The second subset of glaciers will consist of three smaller hanging and cirque glaciers from the South Baranof Wilderness Area (see map attachment 2).
    [Show full text]
  • Bibliography of Alaskan Geology
    BIBLIOGRAPHY OF ALASKAN GEOLOGY , ,. SPECIAL REPORT 22 ..... Compiled by: CRAWFORD E. FRITTS and MILDRED E. BROWN State of Alaska Department of Hat ural Resources OIVISIOH OF GEOLOGICAL SURVEY College, Alaska 187 1 STATE OF ALASKA William A. Egan - Governor DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES Charles F. Herbert - Commissioner DIVISION OF GEOLOGICAL SURVEY William C. Fackler - Assistant Commissioner for Minerals BIBLIOGWHY OF ALASKAN GEOLOGY, 1919-1949 Compiled by Crawford E. Fritrs and Mildred E. Brown College, Alaska 1971 CONTENTS Page Introduction ................................ 1 Purpose. source and format .......,............... 1 Serial publications ........................... 2 Other publishing media .........................ll Miscellaneous abbreviations ....................... 13 Bibliography ................................ 15 Index .................. Arealgeology ............. Earthquakes .............. Economic geology ........... Engineering geology .......... General subjects ........... Geomorphology [or physiography] .... Geophysical surveys .......... Glacial geology ............ Historical geology .......... Maps. geologic ............ Mineralogy .............. Paleoclimatology ........... Paleontology ............. Petrology ............... Physical geology ........... Sedimentation or sedimentary petrology Stratigraphy ............. Structural geology .......... Volcanism and volcanology ....... ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 1 . Quadrangles and major geographic divisions of Alaska referred to in this report .......................
    [Show full text]
  • Sitka National Historical Park the Archeology of the Fort Unit: Volume I: Results of the 2005-2008 Inventory
    University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln U.S. National Park Service Publications and Papers National Park Service 2010 Sitka National Historical Park The Archeology Of The Fort Unit: Volume I: Results Of The 2005-2008 Inventory William J. Hunt Jr. National Park Service, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/natlpark Hunt, William J. Jr., "Sitka National Historical Park The Archeology Of The Fort Unit: Volume I: Results Of The 2005-2008 Inventory" (2010). U.S. National Park Service Publications and Papers. 89. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/natlpark/89 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the National Park Service at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in U.S. National Park Service Publications and Papers by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. SITKA NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK THE ARCHEOLOGY OF THE FORT UNIT VOLUME I: RESULTS OF THE 2005-2008 INVENTORY by William J. Hunt, Jr. Midwest Archeological Center Occasional Studies No. 35 Volume 1 NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Midwest Archeological Center United States Department of the Interior National Park Service Midwest Archeological Center Lincoln, Nebraska 2010 This report has been reviewed against the criteria contained in 43CFR Part 7, Subpart A, Section 7.18 (a) (1) and, upon recommendation of the Midwest Regional Office and the Midwest Archeological Center, has been classified as Available Making the report available meets the criteria of 43CFR Part 7, Subpart A, Section 7.18 (a) (1). ABSTRACT In 2005, SITK invited the National Park Service’s (NPS) Midwest Archeological Center (MWAC) to conduct a Systemwide Archeological Inventory Program (SAIP) parkwide inventory at the park’s Fort Site Unit.
    [Show full text]
  • Wilderness in Southeastern Alaska: a History
    Wilderness in Southeastern Alaska: A History John Sisk Today, Southeastern Alaska (Southeast) is well known remoteness make it wild in the most definitive sense. as a place of great scenic beauty, abundant wildlife and The Tongass encompasses 109 inventoried roadless fisheries, and coastal wilderness. Vast expanses of areas covering 9.6 million acres (3.9 million hectares), wild, generally undeveloped rainforest and productive and Congress has designated 5.8 million acres (2.3 coastal ecosystems are the foundation of the region’s million hectares) of wilderness in the nation’s largest abundance (Fig 1). To many Southeast Alaskans, (16.8 million acre [6.8 million hectare]) national forest wilderness means undisturbed fish and wildlife habitat, (U.S. Forest Service [USFS] 2003). which in turn translates into food, employment, and The Wilderness Act of 1964 provides a legal business. These wilderness values are realized in definition for wilderness. As an indicator of wild subsistence, sport and commercial fisheries, and many character, the act has ensured the preservation of facets of tourism and outdoor recreation. To Americans federal lands displaying wilderness qualities important more broadly, wilderness takes on a less utilitarian to recreation, science, ecosystem integrity, spiritual value and is often described in terms of its aesthetic or values, opportunities for solitude, and wildlife needs. spiritual significance. Section 2(c) of the Wilderness Act captures the essence of wilderness by identifying specific qualities that make it unique. The provisions suggest wilderness is an area or region characterized by the following conditions (USFS 2002): Section 2(c)(1) …generally appears to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature, with the imprint of man’s work substantially unnoticeable; Section 2(c)(2) …has outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation; Section 2(c)(3) …has at least five thousand acres of land or is of sufficient FIG 1.
    [Show full text]
  • North Pacific Research Board Project Final Report
    NORTH PACIFIC RESEARCH BOARD PROJECT FINAL REPORT Synthesis of Marine Biology and Oceanography of Southeast Alaska NPRB Project 406 Final Report Ginny L. Eckert1, Tom Weingartner2, Lisa Eisner3, Jan Straley4, Gordon Kruse5, and John Piatt6 1 Biology Program, University of Alaska Southeast, and School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 11120 Glacier Hwy., Juneau, AK 99801, (907) 796-6450, [email protected] 2 Institute of Marine Science, University of Alaska Fairbanks, P.O. Box 757220, Fairbanks, AK 99775-7220, (907) 474-7993, [email protected] 3 Auke Bay Lab, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 17109 Pt. Lena Loop Rd., Juneau, AK 99801, (907) 789-6602, [email protected] 4 University of Alaska Southeast, 1332 Seward Ave., Sitka, AK 99835, (907) 774-7779, [email protected] 5 School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 11120 Glacier Hwy., Juneau, AK 99801, (907) 796-2052, [email protected] 6 Alaska Science Center, US Geological Survey, Anchorage, AK, 360-774-0516, [email protected] August 2007 ABSTRACT This project directly responds to NPRB specific project needs, “Bring Southeast Alaska scientific background up to the status of other Alaskan waters by completing a synthesis of biological and oceanographic information”. This project successfully convened a workshop on March 30-31, 2005 at the University of Alaska Southeast to bring together representatives from different marine science disciplines and organizations to synthesize information on the marine biology and oceanography of Southeast Alaska. Thirty-eight individuals participated, including representatives of the University of Alaska and state and national agencies.
    [Show full text]
  • Bulletin of the United States Fish Commission
    SALMON-TAGGING EXPERIMENTS IN ALASKA, 1924 AND 1925 1 .:I- By WILLIS H. RICH, Ph. D. Director, U. S. Biological Station, Seattle, Wash; .:I­ CONTENTS Page Introduction _ 109 Experiments in southeastern Alaska__hhu u __nn_h__u u u _ 116 Tagging record _ 116 Returns from experiments in Icy Strait__ n h_u u_..u u _ 119 Returns from experiments in Frederick Sound u huh _ 123 Returns from experiments in Chatham Strait; h u • _ 123 Returns from experiments in Sumner Strait, u_uuu .. u _ 128 Returns from experiments at Cape Muzon and Kaigani Point, ~ _ 135 Returns from experiments at Cape Chacon u n u h _ 137 Returns from experiments near Cape Fox and Duke Islandu _ 141 Variations in returns of tagged fish; h _u u n n h n __ h u_ 143 Conelusions _ 144 Experiments at Port Moller, 1925un__h_uu uu __ 145 INTRODUCTION The extensive salmon-tagging experiments conducted during 1922 and 1923 2 in the region of the Alaska Peninsula proved so productive of information, both of scientific interest and of practical application in the care of these fisheries, that it was considered desirable to undertake similar investigations in other districts; Accordingly, experiments were carried on in southeastern Alaska in 1924 and again in 1925. In 1925, also, at the request of one of the companies engaged in packing salmon in the Port Moller district, along the northern shore of the Alaska Penin­ sula, the work done there in 1922 was repeated. The results of these experiments form the basis for the following report.
    [Show full text]
  • Brown Bear (Ursus Arctos) John Schoen and Scott Gende Images by John Schoen
    Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) John Schoen and Scott Gende images by John Schoen Two hundred years ago, brown (also known as grizzly) bears were abundant and widely distributed across western North America from the Mississippi River to the Pacific and from northern Mexico to the Arctic (Trevino and Jonkel 1986). Following settlement of the west, brown bear populations south of Canada declined significantly and now occupy only a fraction of their original range, where the brown bear has been listed as threatened since 1975 (Servheen 1989, 1990). Today, Alaska remains the last stronghold in North America for this adaptable, large omnivore (Miller and Schoen 1999) (Fig 1). Brown bears are indigenous to Southeastern Alaska (Southeast), and on the northern islands they occur in some of the highest-density FIG 1. Brown bears occur throughout much of southern populations on earth (Schoen and Beier 1990, Miller et coastal Alaska where they are closely associated with salmon spawning streams. Although brown bears and grizzly bears al. 1997). are the same species, northern and interior populations are The brown bear in Southeast is highly valued by commonly called grizzlies while southern coastal populations big game hunters, bear viewers, and general wildlife are referred to as brown bears. Because of the availability of abundant, high-quality food (e.g. salmon), brown bears enthusiasts. Hiking up a fish stream on the northern are generally much larger, occur at high densities, and have islands of Admiralty, Baranof, or Chichagof during late smaller home ranges than grizzly bears. summer reveals a network of deeply rutted bear trails winding through tunnels of devil’s club (Oplopanx (Klein 1965, MacDonald and Cook 1999) (Fig 2).
    [Show full text]
  • No Name Bay and Other Misnomers in This Issue Richard Carstensen Kids Page
    News and Views from Discovery Southeast Fall 1999 No Name Bay and other misnomers In this issue Richard Carstensen Kids Page ....................................... 7 Meet the New Naturalists ............. 8 “A naturalist is somebody that knows a lot of names.” Kayaker from Cali- Thoughts on Nature Studies ........ 10 fornia, met on Halibut Island, mouth of Port Frederick, 1994. I became a naturalist at Juneau’s Eagle Beach in the 1980s. Although I didn’t think to wonder about it at the time, Eagle Beach and Eagle River To understand Eagle Beach I had to map derive their names not from any surfeit of eagles but from the Eagle Gla- it, and to situate the thousands of notes I took cier up valley. The glacier itself was named by naval commander Richard there, I needed place names. On my 1983 Meade in 1869 “because of this feature’s resemblance to an eagle with map of the scout camp area there are 25 or so outstretched wings.” 1 names, only one of which pre-dated my 12- Meade’s view of Eagle Glacier was almost certainly from saltwater. year residence there. Others I had to invent. Today there are few places in Favorite Channel from which its corrugated Shunning IWGNs (Important White Guy icefalls can be seen, and what we do see looks nothing like an eagle. Over Names), I tried to apply names that actually the last 130 years, the glacier surface has downwasted hundreds of feet. carried information about places. “Dowitcher Staring at my photos of the glacier from M/V Columbia, trying to restore Slough,” clogged with river mud, drew flocks the 1869 ice levels in my imagination, I catch teasing glimpses of Meade’s of the little syringe-billed probers.
    [Show full text]
  • Marine Tephrochronology of the Mt
    Quaternary Research 73 (2010) 277–292 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Quaternary Research journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/yqres Marine tephrochronology of the Mt. Edgecumbe Volcanic Field, Southeast Alaska, USA Jason A. Addison a,b,⁎, James E. Beget a,b, Thomas A. Ager c, Bruce P. Finney d a Alaska Quaternary Center and Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 900 Yukon Drive, PO Box 755780, Fairbanks, AK 99775-5780, USA b Alaska Quaternary Center, PO Box 755940, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775-5940, USA c U.S. Geological Survey, Mail Stop 980, Box 25045, Denver Federal Center, Denver, CO 80225, USA d Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID 83209-8007, USA article info abstract Article history: The Mt. Edgecumbe Volcanic Field (MEVF), located on Kruzof Island near Sitka Sound in southeast Alaska, Received 30 March 2009 experienced a large multiple-stage eruption during the last glacial maximum (LGM)–Holocene transition Available online 11 December 2009 that generated a regionally extensive series of compositionally similar rhyolite tephra horizons and a single well-dated dacite (MEd) tephra. Marine sediment cores collected from adjacent basins to the MEVF contain Keywords: both tephra-fall and pyroclastic flow deposits that consist primarily of rhyolitic tephra and a minor dacitic Tephra tephra unit. The recovered dacite tephra correlates with the MEd tephra, whereas many of the rhyolitic Alaska North Pacific Ocean tephras correlate with published MEVF rhyolites. Correlations were based on age constraints and major Cryptotephra oxide compositions of glass shards. In addition to LGM–Holocene macroscopic tephra units, four marine Mt.
    [Show full text]
  • Aleuts: an Outline of the Ethnic History
    i Aleuts: An Outline of the Ethnic History Roza G. Lyapunova Translated by Richard L. Bland ii As the nation’s principal conservation agency, the Department of the Interior has re- sponsibility for most of our nationally owned public lands and natural and cultural resources. This includes fostering the wisest use of our land and water resources, protecting our fish and wildlife, preserving the environmental and cultural values of our national parks and historical places, and providing for enjoyment of life through outdoor recreation. The Shared Beringian Heritage Program at the National Park Service is an international program that rec- ognizes and celebrates the natural resources and cultural heritage shared by the United States and Russia on both sides of the Bering Strait. The program seeks local, national, and international participation in the preservation and understanding of natural resources and protected lands and works to sustain and protect the cultural traditions and subsistence lifestyle of the Native peoples of the Beringia region. Aleuts: An Outline of the Ethnic History Author: Roza G. Lyapunova English translation by Richard L. Bland 2017 ISBN-13: 978-0-9965837-1-8 This book’s publication and translations were funded by the National Park Service, Shared Beringian Heritage Program. The book is provided without charge by the National Park Service. To order additional copies, please contact the Shared Beringian Heritage Program ([email protected]). National Park Service Shared Beringian Heritage Program © The Russian text of Aleuts: An Outline of the Ethnic History by Roza G. Lyapunova (Leningrad: Izdatel’stvo “Nauka” leningradskoe otdelenie, 1987), was translated into English by Richard L.
    [Show full text]
  • Sea Kayaking on the Petersburg
    SeaSea KayakingKayaking onon thethe PetersburgPetersburg RangerRanger DistrictDistrict Routes Included in Handout Petersburg to Kake via north shore of Kupreanof Island Petersburg to Kake via south shore of Kupreanof Island LeConte Bay Loop Thomas Bay Loop Northwest Kuiu Island Loop Duncan Canal Loop Leave No Trace (LNT) information Tongass National Forest Petersburg Ranger District P.O. Box 1328 Petersburg AK. 99833 Sea Kayaking in the Petersburg Area The Petersburg area offers outstanding paddling opportunities. From an iceberg filled fjord in LeConte Bay to the Keku Islands this remote area has hundreds of miles of shoreline to explore. But Alaska is not a forgiving place, being remote, having cold water, large tides and rug- ged terrain means help is not just around the corner. One needs to be experienced in both paddling and wilderness camping. There are not established campsites and we are trying to keep them from forming. To help ensure these wild areas retain their naturalness it’s best to camp on the durable surfaces of the beach and not damage the fragile uplands vegetation. This booklet will begin to help you plan an enjoyable and safe pad- dling tour. The first part contains information on what paddlers should expect in this area and some safety guidelines. The second part will help in planning a tour. The principles of Leave No Trace Camping are presented. These are suggestions on how a person can enjoy an area without damaging it and leave it pristine for years to come. Listed are over 30 Leave No Trace campsites and several possible paddling routes in this area.
    [Show full text]
  • East Baranof Island
    East Baranof Province as the highest peaks on Admiralty Island, but they intercept more moisture and are more heavily glaciated. They also appear more jagged, because regional ice levels were somewhat lower during the Great Ice Age, and therefore a greater proportion of their summits stood free of the rounding effects of ice. The unnamed 5,328-ft (1,625 m) mountain at the head of Baranof River is the tallest peak on any Southeast island, and overlooks an icefield of about 5 mi2 (12 km2), the largest such expanse on the archipelago. Catherine Island is a giant “tombolo;” only during extreme high tides is it actually separated from Baranof Island by salt water. The largest streams and rivers draining the interior glaciated highlands are braided and aggrading where they reach the lowlands. Most deliver their silt burden into lakes before reaching the ocean. Only Glacial River, terminating in the south arm of Kelp Bay, carries glacial silt all the way into estuarine salt marshes, and is unique among all archipelago streams in this regard. The Clear River also enters these marshes, forming an instructive contrast. East Baranof Province is one of the wettest regions of Southeast. Little Port Walter on southeastern Baranof receives FIG 1. East Baranof Province. 221 in (561 cm) of precipitation annually. Over most of the province, precipitous terrain During the Great Ice Age, the tall mountain massif of precludes the growth of large expanses of hemlock- northern Baranof became a center from which glaciers spruce forest, particularly in the southern portion of the radiated, flowing east into Chatham Strait and west to province.
    [Show full text]