Aerial view of the Steller Glacier, with North America (the high mountains) thrust over the Yakutat terrane in the foreground.

Bering Glacier and rocks of the Yakutat micropate or 'terrane'. Does enhanced erosion by glaciers localize deformation?

The Saint Elias Mountains of southern Alaska and Yukon, Canada are a spectacular mountain range forming today by the collision of the Yakutat microplate into North America. The microplate originated as part of the western margin of North America and then moved northward along the Fairweather transform fault to collide into southern Alaska at the northeastern end of the Aleutian subduction zone. STEEP is a large multi-institutional project focusing on interactions between climate and tectonics during mountain building. What sets the Saint Elias orogen apart is the extensive glaciation which creates very high rates of erosion and sediment yield (See the Science Plan ). The U of Utah part of STEEP involves the structural geology and active tectonics of this glaciated mountain belt. Our work includes geological mapping, analyzing the tectonic geomorphology and trenching of active structures (paleoseismology), and studying the interactions between glaciers and tectonics. Two PhD students are working on this project. Julie Willis is working on deformation throughout south-central Alaska, Mike Vorkink is working on the structural evolution and deformation of the Yakutat microplate.

Location of Yakutat Microplate Collsion