This week I went out to Alaska to check out the Noatak National Preserve. What is special about Noatak is not only how beautiful it is, but how it has collisional mountain ranges! These mountain ranges were formed by convergent plate boundaries in which an thin layer of oceanic crust met a think layer of continental crust. The oceanic crust gives way to the continental crust until the continental crust is met with another layer of continental crust. This second layer of continental crust won't be easily swallowed up by the first layer and ends up pushing up which gives us mountains! Think of it as two pieces of land slowly coming together and the ocean in between them disappears as they collide into each other. Where they met, the crust crumples up and forms a mountain range. Pretty neat huh!? Anyways, I think I see a moose over yonder. Gonna grab my binoculars and try and get a closer (but still a safe distance away) look.-Matt
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