Why is Denali So Tall?

On a recent trip to Denali National Park, I was treated first hand to just how massive Denali is. It’s impossible to miss. With the exception of Mt. Foraker, Denali simply towers over the rest of the mountains around it. And the more time I spent around it, the more I began to wonder: Why is Denali so Tall? It seemed so odd to me that Denali stood out so uniquely from the other mountains in the Alaska Range - or even in the United States. I wanted to know what factors were contributing to Denali’s massive height.

This video is all about what I found. There are two main geological factors at play when it comes to Denali’s height: the Denali Fault and the physical composition of Denali itself. A bend in the fault causes rocks to bunch together, raising Denali to even greater heights, while its granite structure causes it to resist the erosive forces wearing away everything else around it.

Denali National Park was an incredible experience and I knew when I was there that I wanted to tell a story about it here on the channel. It’s part of my larger goal of telling educational stories about protected places here on Youtube. If that sounds like something you’re interested in, don’t forget to like this video and subscribe to the channel! Enjoy!

[davidguthary]

Depending on how you define it, there are four candidates for the tallest mountain on Earth.

Highest point above sea level: Mount Everest
Farthest point from Earth's center: Chimborazo
Tallest mountain base to peak: Mauna Kea
Tallest mountain base to peak above water: Denali

[VictorDeveze]

Yep. Prominence is what makes a mountain striking. A mountain can be 7000m but if it’s only 1000m in prominence, it really doesn’t look that massive

[evanmickey]

geologist here: subduction can’t occur between two continents, so make sure you say that it’s between the North American Plate and the Pacific Plate (you said “between 2 continents”). Oceanic crust is way denser than continental crust, so it subducts. Continental crust won’t subduct under other continental crust, so it just folds up (like Appalachia and the Himalaya).

great video!

[danepcarver]

When I visited Denali National Park, I didn't see the mountain as it was obscured by clouds. The guide said that it was very common to not get a view, thou when its clear it's high very impressive.

[andrewrice]

I hate when mountains are only described based on their peak elevation above sea level. Thank you for taking the time to explain why denali is one of the "tallest" from base to tip!

[ejej]

I lived in Alaska for a fairly long time (17 years) and worked in Denali National Park for two summers. No matter how often I saw the mountain it never ceased to thrill me. If anything, each time I saw it I realized even more how truly fortunate I was to be there.
(My tip for anyone and everyone is: Don't wait until you're old and retired to visit Alaska. Go while you still have the energy and stamina to really explore the state. It's a hiker's paradise. And don't be surprised if, like me, you go for a visit and decide to stay for years!)

[BJETNT]

I grew up in Alaska, on a clear day you can see Mount McKinley from Anchorage where I lived. I also traveled up to Denali national Park thanks to my wonderful mother and saw Denali more than once up close. Absolutely beautiful area

[spikesmth]

Awesome. I saw Denali when I was young. You cannot capture the scale of it in a video. You see the base of a mountain rising into the clouds. Then in a break in the clouds, you can see the summit rising way higher. It's insane.

[TheBinoyVudi]

The reason why mt Everest isn’t prominent is the Himalayas are so formidable, caused by the collision of the Indian and the Asian plates, every other mountain there tops 27000 ft.

[mj]

Denali has a healthy self esteem and doesn’t let anything push it down…instead grows higher. What a lesson for us all! Keep on being great, Denali. 🙏🏼💛

[profd]

Mt. Rainier is just as impressive as Denali to me, and for similar reasons. I have no idea why mountains are ranked according to their elevation rather than their prominence...it makes no sense. A lot of "tall" mountains are just short mountains that rest upon high plateaus; they're basically like a short guy who stands on a chair and then claims he's tall. When people visualize a mountain in their heads or draw a mountain on a piece of paper, they're visualizing or drawing the prominence, not the elevation of the summit above sea level.

[sunnygirlishappy]

Great video! It brought back all my memories of our trip to Alaska. We saw Mountain goats, moose and bears.Thanks

[dennispotwin]

The Alaskan landscape is incredible, I live on the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and they don't have anything on these behemoths

[jpe]

0:34 “it immediately draws your eye when it comes into view” … if you happen to be incredibly lucky and it’s not obscured by clouds! Back in 2001 I drove up from New Jersey to see Denali (took 2 whole weeks for the drive, it’s a big country!) but when I arrived it was so cloudy and foggy that I couldn’t see anything of the mountain at all. Fortunately there was a huge mural photograph of the mountain on the wall in the visitor center that gave a sense of what I missed, and was good for the obligatory selfie. I hope to get back again some day, hopefully with better weather.

[ryancarriere]

It'd be great to see a video on Mt St Elias. St Elias has similar extreme vertical relief from the surroundings, and has geological anomalies resulting in its fast growth

[SietseBerghuis]

One of the most beautiful mountain I summited ... such a joy and ultimate respect to climb Denali

[stonew]

Great report. Thank you. A couple of things; Mt. Logan is over 19, 500 ft. high and not that far from Denali, as it is located in Southwest Yukon near the Alaska border. Nearby Mt. St. Elias is over 18, 000 ft. tall. Granted, neither is as tall as Denali, but they are in the vicinity locally and height wise, especially Mt. Logan. Secondly, how come it is not a volcano given that the Pacific plate is subducting under the North American plate? I understood your explanation and find it fascinating, but still curious about why it is not a volcano. Thirdly, I'm glad they switched the name from Mt. McKinley a few years ago. Denali is its proper name and honors the native tribes that have lived in the area for thousands of years and had a relationship with it. And Denali just sounds cooler anyway . . .

[bmck]

I asked my daughter this question and she said, "because it is a mountain."

😆 🤣 😂

[aidanpeairs]

I have been hoping for a video on specific mountain’s geology for so long!! Please please please make more of these, especially on mountains like Longs Peak (Rocky Mountain NP), Grand Teton, or Mount Whitney (Sequoia NP)

[robkuijer]

@ 3:12 the mantle actually consists of solid rock. This magma ocean thing is a rather persistent misconception. It does however flow, just like solid glaciers do.