Logan, Mount (Yukon)

Mount Logan ( LOH-ghən) is the highest mountain in Canada and the second-highest peak in North America after Denali. The mountain was named after Sir William Edmond Logan, a Canadian geologist and founder of the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC). Mount Logan is located within Kluane National Park Reserve in southwestern Yukon, less than 40 km (25 mi) north of the Yukon–Alaska border. Mount Logan is the source of the Hubbard and Logan glaciers. Although many shield volcanoes are much larger in size and mass, Mount Logan is believed to have the largest base circumference of any non-volcanic mountain on Earth, including a massif with eleven peaks over 5,000 m (16,000 ft). Mount Logan is the 6th most topographically prominent peak on Earth. Due to active tectonic uplifting, Mount Logan is still rising in height (approximately 0.35 mm (0.014 in) per year). Before 1992, the exact elevation of Mount Logan was unknown and measurements ranged from 5,959 to 6,050 m (19,551 to 19,849 ft). In May 1992, a GSC expedition climbed Mount Logan and fixed the current height of 5,959 m (19,551 ft) using GPS. Temperatures are extremely low on and near Mount Logan. On the 5,000 m (16,000 ft) plateau, air temperature hovers around −45 °C (−49 °F) in the winter and reaches near freezing in summer with the median temperature for the year around −27 °C (−17 °F). Minimal snow melt leads to a significant ice cap, almost 300 m (980 ft) thick in certain spots.