North Slope
Quick Summary
The North Slope is a geographical region in northern Alaska, situated between the Brooks Range and the Arctic Ocean. This tundra-covered area is characterized by low ridges and rolling plateaus, with its landscape underlain by permafrost.12
Significant oil reserves were discovered in the North Slope in 1968, leading to the development of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. The region's economy is heavily influenced by petroleum development, with Prudhoe Bay being a major oil-producing area. Barrow (now Utqiagvik) serves as the main hub for the North Slope and is the northernmost town in the United States.1345
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
Alaskan mountainsPhysiography of the northern rangesThe tundra-covered area, called the North Slope, is underlain by permafrost, which is permanently frozen sediment and rock; only a shallow surface zone thaws during the short summer, producing a vast number of small ephemeral lakes and ponds. That region is geologically complex, as is the higher Brooks Range to…
Read MoreThe tundra-covered area, called the North Slope, is underlain by permafrost, which is permanently frozen sediment and rock; only a shallow surface zone thaws during the short summer, producing a vast number of small ephemeral lakes and ponds. That region is geologically complex, as is the higher Brooks Range to…
Read More
AlaskaRelief…often referred to as the North Slope, has a truly polar environment, with the sea waters along the coast frozen eight months of the year and the ground permanently frozen except for a thin zone of summer melting. It is treeless and, in summer, grasses and Arctic alpine flowers abound.…
Read More…often referred to as the North Slope, has a truly polar environment, with the sea waters along the coast frozen eight months of the year and the ground permanently frozen except for a thin zone of summer melting. It is treeless and, in summer, grasses and Arctic alpine flowers abound.…
Read More