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Glacier National Park in Full HD (1080p).
Glacier National Park is a national park located in the
U.S. state of
Montana, on the
Canada–United States border with the
Canadian provinces of
Alberta and
British Columbia. The park encompasses over 1 million acres (4,
000 sq km) and includes parts of two mountain ranges (sub-ranges of the
Rocky Mountains), over 130 named lakes, more than 1,000 different species of plants, and hundreds of species of animals. This vast pristine ecosystem is the centerpiece of what has been referred to as the "
Crown of the Continent Ecosystem", a region of protected land encompassing 16,000 square miles (41,000 sq km).
The region that became Glacier National Park was first inhabited by
Native Americans. Upon the arrival of
European explorers, it was dominated by the
Blackfeet in the east and the
Flathead in the western regions.
Soon after the establishment of the park on May 11, 1910, a number of hotels and chalets were constructed by the
Great Northern Railway. These historic hotels and chalets are listed as
National Historic Landmarks and a total of 350 locations are on the
National Register of Historic Places. By 1932 work was completed on the
Going-to-the-Sun Road, later designated a
National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, which provided greater accessibility for automobiles into the heart of the park.
The mountains of Glacier National Park began forming 170 million years ago when ancient rocks were forced eastward up and over much younger rock strata. Known as the
Lewis Overthrust, these sedimentary rocks are considered to have some of the finest fossilized examples of extremely early life found anywhere on
Earth. The current shapes of the
Lewis and
Livingston mountain ranges and positioning and size of the lakes show the telltale evidence of massive glacial action, which carved U-shaped valleys and left behind moraines which impounded water, creating lakes. Of the estimated
150 glaciers which existed in the park in the mid-19th century, only 25 active glaciers remained by
2010.
Scientists studying the glaciers in the park have estimated that all the glaciers may disappear by
2020 if the current climate patterns persist.
Glacier National Park has almost all its original native plant and animal species.
Large mammals such as the grizzly, moose, and mountain goat, as well as rare or endangered species like the wolverine and
Canadian lynx, inhabit the park.
Hundreds of species of birds, more than a dozen fish species, and a few reptile and amphibian species have been documented. The park has numerous ecosystems ranging from prairie to tundra. Notably, the easternmost forests of western redcedar and hemlock grow in the southwest portion of the park. Large forest fires are uncommon in the park. However, in
2003 over 13% of the park burned.
Glacier National Park borders
Waterton Lakes National Park in
Canada—the two parks are known as the
Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park and were designated as the world's
first International Peace Park in 1932. Both parks were designated by the
United Nations as
Biosphere Reserves in
1976, and in
1995 as
World Heritage sites. [
Wikipedia]
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- published: 26 Nov 2014
- views: 62519