Glaciers, Tectonics, and the Klondike Gold Rush Trail
FT01 • 4-5 Days • Juneau, Alaska, USA to Whitehorse, YT, Canada
This excursion will explore some of the spectacular geological features along the corridor from Juneau, Alaska to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. Starting in Juneau, we will travel up Lynn Canal to Skagway, then take the historic White Pass Railroad up into Canada, following the path of the Klondike Gold Rush. In Yukon Territory, we will explore glacial, tectonic and other features, including the southern section of the Denali fault, the geological and historic records of rapidly-changing glaciers. For example, the advance and retreat of glaciers has changed the lake level of Kluane Lake dramatically over recent centuries. Mining and economic geology are closely tied to the history of the region, on both sides of the border.
Field Trip Leader
Dr. Jeffrey Freymueller, Endowed Chair for Geology of the Solid Earth, Department Chair
Dept. of Earth and Environmental Sciences
Michigan State University
Bove Island, S Klondike highway, S of Carcross.
Image credit: Jeff Freymueller
Sentinel Island Lighthouse, N of Juneau.
Image credit: Jeff Freymueller
