About Glacier National Park
In 1910, a remote area in northwestern Montana was recognized for its spectacular scenery, rugged terrain, and pristine ecosystem. With the dedication of 1.4 million acres, this area became Glacier National Park, named after the dynamic forces that sculpted its landscape. Bordering the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, Glacier National Park encompasses forests, alpine meadows, lakes, and glaciers.
The park provides an outstanding classroom for naturalists and terrain modelers. The many valleys, carved by alpine glaciers, dissect the landscape and create a terrain modeling wonderland.
The park also presents many modeling challenges. Located just below the United States-Canadian border, it is immediately south of the 49th parallel and straddles the boundary between Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) Zones 11 and 12. Its location is at the far west end of the Montana State Plane NAD83 Single Zone. In both UTM and State Plane, conic projection parameters rotate the model of Glacier National Park significantly.
See also "Virtual Geomorphology" [PDF-5.31 MB].
|