Baffin Mountains
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| Baffin Mountains | |
|---|---|
 Summit Lake, mountains, Auyuittuq National Park | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Mount Odin |
| Elevation | 2,147 m (7,044 ft) |
| Coordinates | 66°33′N 65°26′W / 66.550°N 65.433°W |
| Geography | |
 Satellite image of Baffin Island, the Baffin Mountains are seen in northeastern Baffin Island | |
| Country | Canada |
| Territory | Nunavut |
| Regions | Baffin Island and Bylot Island |
| Parent range | Arctic Cordillera |
The Baffin Mountains are a mountain range running along the northeastern coast of Baffin Island and Bylot Island, Nunavut, Canada. The ice-capped mountains are part of the Arctic Cordillera and have some of the highest peaks of eastern North America, reaching a height of 1,525–2,146 metres (5,003–7,041 ft) above sea level.[1] While they are separated by bodies of water to make Baffin Island, they are closely related to the other mountain ranges that make the much larger Arctic Cordillera mountain range.[2]
The highest point is Mount Odin at 2,147 m (7,044 ft)[3][4] while Mount Asgard (Sivanitirutinguak) at 2,015 m (6,611 ft) is perhaps the best known.[5] The highest point in the northern Baffin Mountains is Qiajivik Mountain at 1,963 m (6,440 ft).[6] There are no trees in the Baffin Mountains because they are north of the Arctic tree line. Rocks that compose the Baffin Mountains are primarily deeply dissected granitic rocks. They were covered with ice until about 1500 years ago, and vast parts of them are still ice-covered. Geologically, the Baffin Mountains form the eastern edge of the Canadian Shield, which covers much of Canada's landscape.
| Rank | Name | m | ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mount Odin | 2147 | 7044 |
| 2 | Mount Asgard | 2015 | 6611 |
| 3 | Qiajivik Mountain | 1963 | 6440 |
| 4 | Angilaaq Mountain | 1951 | 6401 |
| 5 | Kisimngiuqtuq Peak | 1905 | 6250 |
| 6 | Ukpik Peak | 1809 | 5935 |
| 7 | Bastille Peak | 1733 | 5686 |
| 8 | Mount Thule | 1711 | 5614 |
| 9 | Angna Mountain | 1710 | 5610 |
| 10 | Mount Thor | 1675 | 5495 |
Glaciation
The ranges of the Baffin Mountains are separated by deep fjords and glaciated valleys with many spectacular glacial and ice-capped mountains. The snowfall in the Baffin Mountains is light, much less than in places like the Saint Elias Mountains in southeastern Alaska and southwestern Yukon which are plastered with snow.
The largest ice cap in the Baffin Mountains is the Penny Ice Cap, which has an area of 6,000 km2 (2,300 sq mi). During the mid-1990s, Canadian researchers studied the glacier's patterns of freezing and thawing over centuries by drilling ice core samples.[7]
