Geography
Amchitka is the southernmost of the Rat Islands group in the Aleutian Chain, located between 51°21′N 178°37′E / 51.35°N 178.617°E / 51.35; 178.617 and 51°39′N 179°29′E / 51.65°N 179.483°E / 51.65; 179.483. It is bounded by the Bering Sea to the north and east, and the Pacific Ocean to the south and west.
The eastern part of the island is a lowland plateau, with isolated ponds and gently rolling hills. There is low but abundant vegetation, consisting of mosses, lichens, liverworts, ferns, grasses, sedges, and crowberry. The center of the island is mountainous, and the western end is barren and vegetation is sparse.
Amchitka has a maritime climate, often foggy and windswept, with cloud cover 98 percent of the time. 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."
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