Making Mountains

Right now, do a quick experiment.  Take a piece of paper and hold it in place while you push on one edge.  Notice how it will bow upward.  In much the same way, as the Pacific Plate pushes into the North American Plate, it causes the land on the North American Plate to scrunch up.  This process creates the mountains of the Pacific Mountain System, such as the Alaska, Kenai, and Chugach Mountains.  Currently, Mt. Denali is growing at a rate of one millimeter a year due to this slow-motion collision.