Banks Island
- MODIS image
- date unknown
Located within the Inuvik region of the Northwest Territories, Banks Island lies at the western extremity of the Arctic Archipelago, facing the waters of the Beaufort Sea. The island is located across the narrow Prince of Wales Strait (frozen in the above image) from the larger Victoria Island (right side of image). On the northern side, across the McClure Strait, are the islands of Prince Patrick Island and Melville Island — both members of the Parry Islands group. To the south, across the Amundsen Gulf, is the Canadian mainland. At 70,028 km² in area Banks Island is the fifth largest island of Canadian territory, measuring 381 km in length (north to south) and 180-290 km in width.
Terrain on the island can be broadly defined by three zones: elevated plateau regions in the north and south that are divided by a central lowland region. The northern plateau rises from the almost perpetually frozen waters of the McClure Strait in a line of limestone cliffs of over 300 m in height before sloping — by means of sharp slopes and areas of low hilly terrain — to the lowlands of the central region. The central regions form a post-glacial landscape of exceedingly flat terrain, undulating plains and wide river valleys. The largest rivers of Banks Island flow across this region (see large size image) and include the Big, Bernard, Masik and Thomsen rivers — all flowing from the elevated east coast to the low coastlines of the west; the Thomsen River is the largest with a length of some 300 km.
Like the northern coastline, the coastline of the southern plateau often meets the sea in tall cliffs — reaching a height of 425 m at the Nelson Head Cliffs. Unlike the north, however, the southern cliffs are much older and composed from quartzite rocks. The southern region contains the island's highest elevation, where a low hill located near the southern tip of the island known as Durham Heights rises above the surrounding terrain to a height of 732 m above sea level.
Banks Island is home to the Aulavik National Park. Covering 12,274 km² in area, the park protects the important Arctic lowlands terrain found in the north. The island provides habitat to the worlds largest numbers of musk oxen (Ovibos moschatus) (around 80,000 in number) and is home to the endangered Peary caribou (Rangifer tarandus pearyi). Typical Arctic fauna are well represented and include: arctic wolves, arctic hare, lemmings and polar bears. With the combined effects of a mean annual temperature of -14 °C and less than 100 mm of precipitation the flora of the island is dominated by low shrubs, mosses and herbs.
image: MODIS rapid response project at nasa/goddard space flight center
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