Named after Prime Minister Alexander Mackenzie, they are a northern continuation, 800 km long, of the eastern system of the Rocky Mountains, composed almost entirely of folded sedimentary strata. They consist of several ranges trending in a NW-SE orientation, straddling the greater part of the NWT-Yukon boundary. The main core, the Backbone Ranges, is a mass of peaks and ridges reaching a maximum height, in Mt Sir James MacBrien, of 2759 m, the highest peak in the NWT. The Mackenzie Mountains lie in the precipitation shadow of the Selwyn Mountains farther west and are relatively dry. The timberline is low, leaving their slopes bare and rock covered.
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- MLA 8TH EDITION
- Finlayson, Douglas. "Mackenzie Mountains". The Canadian Encyclopedia, 04 March 2015, Historica Canada. www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/mackenzie-mountains. Accessed 05 November 2024.
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- APA 6TH EDITION
- Finlayson, D. (2015). Mackenzie Mountains. In The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/mackenzie-mountains
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- CHICAGO 17TH EDITION
- Finlayson, Douglas. "Mackenzie Mountains." The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. Article published February 07, 2006; Last Edited March 04, 2015.
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- TURABIAN 8TH EDITION
- The Canadian Encyclopedia, s.v. "Mackenzie Mountains," by Douglas Finlayson, Accessed November 05, 2024, https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/mackenzie-mountains
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Mackenzie Mountains
Article by Douglas Finlayson
Published Online February 7, 2006
Last Edited March 4, 2015