Amchitka is a volcanic, tectonically unstable island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska. The island, with a land area of roughly 116 square miles, is about 42 miles long and 1 to 4 miles wide. It is no longer used for nuclear testing, but is still monitored for the leakage of radioactive materials.
About Amchitka in brief
Amchitka is a volcanic, tectonically unstable island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska. The island, with a land area of roughly 116 square miles, is about 42 miles long and 1 to 4 miles wide. It was used as an airfield by US forces during World War II. It is no longer used for nuclear testing, but is still monitored for the leakage of radioactive materials. The human history of the island dates back at least 2,500 years, with theAleut people. Human remains, thought to be of an Aleut dating from about 1000 AD, were discovered in 1980. AmchitKA is said to have been seen and named St. Makarius by Vitus Bering in 1741, was sighted by Joseph Billings in 1790, and visited by Shishmaref in 1820. In 1783, Daikokuya Kōdayū and 15 Japanese castaways landed on Amch itka after drifting for seven months. The castaways were taken care of by Russian employees of Zhigarev and hunted with indigenous people. In June 1942, the Japanese occupied some of the western Aleutan islands, and hoped to occupy AmchItka. American planners decided to build a series of airfields to the west of Umnak, from which bombers could attack the invading forces. The U.S. Army established an initial airstrip on the island on December 13, 1942. Despite difficult weather and bombing from the Japanese, the airfield was usable by February 16, 1943.
The American forces made an unopposed landing on AmChitka on January 12, 1943, facing difficult weather conditions and bombing by the Japanese from the same day. The plan was approved in 1942 and American forces began landing on the Island on January 16. The airfield in three to four months could be usable by American forces in two to three weeks, and a main airfield could be built in three months. It has been part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge since the Alaska Purchase of 1867. The area has a maritime climate, with many storms, and mostly overcast skies. While temperatures are moderated by the ocean, storms are frequent. Geologically, the island is volcanic, being a part of a small crustal block on the AleUTian Arc that is being torn apart by oblique subduction. It is one of the least stable tectonic environments in the United States. The center of theIsland is mountainous, and the western end is barren and vegetation is sparse. The eastern part is a lowland plateau, with isolated ponds and gently rolling hills. There is low but abundant vegetation,: 3 consisting of mosses, lichens, liverworts, ferns, grasses, sedges, and crowberry.
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This page is based on the article Amchitka published in Wikipedia (as of Nov. 07, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
