Earth observation views of the Aleutian Mt. Range taken during STS-99

STS099-749-089 (11-22 February 2000) ---As evidenced by this 70mm frame from the Space Shuttle Endeavour, the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands form a long arc that intervenes between the Bering Sea and the northern Pacific Ocean. This view is of the snowy south coast of the peninsula, from Chignik Bay and Cape Kumliun (on the triangular peninsula) northeastward to Chiginagak Bay and David Island. Port Heiden is the darker area of little ice on the north coast. Within the rim of the Aniakchak volcanic crater (4,450 feet at highest point) the frozen waters of Surprise Lake are visible. The North American and Pacific tectonic plates are converging in this region at a rate of about 5 centimeters a year. The Pacific plate descends beneath North America, producing a deep trench along the south coast; the Aleutian Trench reaches depths greater than 25,000 ft. In such regions (subduction zones) volcanoes form on the overriding plate -- the North American plate in this instance; Aniakchak is one of the many young volcanoes in this arc.