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N. America highest peak gets shorter
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North America’s tallest peak, Mount McKinley in Alaska, just got shorter, according to new maps published by official US geographers.
New technology used by the US Geological Survey found Mount McKinley, also known as Denali, tops out at 6,168 meters — short of the 6,193 meters commonly cited as its elevation.
The USGS elevation data was part of a series of about 400 updated maps released earlier in September by the agency, which is updating and refining all of Alaska’s topographic maps, some of which have been used for decades.
For years, mountain climbers, aviators and others have relied on the published 6,193-meter measurement for the mountain because that was on topographic maps, the product of a 1952 geographic measurement.
That has been considered the “published” elevation, said Becci Anderson, a geographer who serves as the USGS’ Alaska regional geospatial liaison.
The new data came from a 2012 survey that employed Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar, or IFSAR.
IFSAR technology is designed to track digitally very small geographic forms and changes that might be taking place.
Different methods of compilation may account for the change in measured elevation, along with other possible factors, including advancements in technology and even climate, the USGS said on its website.
While the new data is different from the 1952 measurement, the USGS “takes no position in favor of either elevation,” said the agency.
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