Saint Elias Mountains
| Saint Elias Mountains | |
|---|---|
 Mt. Saint Elias | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Mount Logan |
| Elevation | 5,959 m (19,551 ft) |
| Coordinates | 60°34′02″N 140°24′10″W / 60.56722°N 140.40278°W |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 300 mi (480 km) |
| Width | 90 mi (140 km) |
| Area | 112,509 km2 (43,440 sq mi) |
| Geography | |
<div style="padding:2px 2px 5px 2px;> | |
| Countries | United States and Canada |
| States/Provinces | Alaska, Yukon and British Columbia |
| Range coordinates | 60°30′N 139°30′W / 60.5°N 139.5°WCoordinates: 60°30′N 139°30′W / 60.5°N 139.5°W |
| Parent range | Pacific Coast Ranges |
| Borders on | Wrangell Mountains |
The Saint Elias Mountains are a subgroup of the Pacific Coast Ranges, located in southeastern Alaska in the United States, southwestern Yukon and the very far northwestern part of British Columbia in Canada. The range spans Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in the USA and Kluane National Park and Reserve in Canada and includes all of Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska. In Alaska, the range includes parts of the city/borough of Yakutat and the Hoonah-Angoon and Valdez-Cordova census areas.[1]
This mountain range was named after Mount Saint Elias which had been named in 1741 by the Danish explorer Vitus Bering.[2]
Geology
Although most of the range is non-volcanic, portions at the western end near the Wrangell Mountains are volcanic. This region includes two major stratovolcanoes, Mount Churchill and Mount Bona, the latter being the highest volcano in the United States. West of the Saint Elias Mountains is the still-active Fairweather Fault, which is the northward extension of the Queen Charlotte Fault. The St. Elias range is a result of 10 million years of the North American tectonic plate pushing material up as it overrides the Pacific plate, then the material being worn down by glaciers.[3]
Ranges
The mountains are divided by the Duke Depression, with the shorter, more rounded Kluane Ranges to the east, and the higher Icefield Ranges to the west. Sub-ranges of the Saint Elias include the Alsek Ranges, the Fairweather Range, and the Centennial Range.[4]
Highest mountains
The highest mountains of the range include:
| Mountain | Height | Location | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| m | ft | |||
| Mount Logan | 5,959 | 19,551 | Yukon | Highest mountain in Canada |
| Mount Saint Elias | 5,489 | 18,008 | Alaska-Yukon | Second highest in both Canada and the United States |
| Mount Lucania | 5,226 | 17,147 | Yukon | #3 in Canada |
| King Peak | 5,173 | 16,971 | Yukon | #4 in Canada |
| Mount Steele | 5,073 | 16,644 | Yukon | #5 in Canada |
| Mount Bona | 5,005 | 16,421 | Alaska | #5 in the United States |
| Mount Wood | 4,842 | 15,885 | Yukon | |
| Mount Vancouver | 4,812 | 15,787 | Yukon | |
| Mount Churchill | 4,766 | 15,638 | Alaska | |
| Mount Slaggard | 4,742 | 15,557 | Yukon | |
| Mount Macaulay | 4,690 | 15,387 | Yukon | |
| Mount Fairweather | 4,671 | 15,325 | BC-Alaska | #1 in BC[5] |
| Mount Hubbard | 4,577 | 15,015 | Yukon | |
| Mount Bear | 4,520 | 14,831 | Alaska | |
| Mount Walsh | 4,507 | 14,787 | Yukon | |
| Mount Alverstone | 4,439 | 14,565 | Alaska-Yukon | |
| University Peak | 4,410 | 14,470 | Alaska | |
| McArthur Peak | 4,389 | 14,400 | Yukon | |
| Mount Augusta | 4,289 | 14,070 | Alaska-Yukon | |
| Mount Kennedy | 4,250-4300 | ~14,000 | Yukon | |
| Mount Cook | 4,196 | 13,766 | Alaska-Yukon | |
Notes
- ↑ "Saint Elias Mountains". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2007-12-03.
- ↑ "Saint. Elias Mountains". BC Geographical Names. http://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/38092.html. Retrieved 2013-12-27.
- ↑ "Glacial Erosion Changes Mountain Responses to Plate Tectonics". Newswise. November 14, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-17.
- ↑ "Saint Elias Mountains". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2013-03-15.
- ↑ Mount Fairweather is only partly in British Columbia. The highest peak entirely within British Columbia is Mount Waddington in the Coast Range, 4019 m (13186 ft).
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Saint Elias Mountains. |
- Richter, Donald H.; Preller, Cindi C.; Labay, Keith A.; Shew, Nora B. (2006). Geologic Map of the Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska. USGS Scientific Investigations Map 2877.
- Winkler, Gary R. (2000). A Geologic Guide to Wrangell—Saint Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska: A Tectonic Collage of Northbound Terranes. USGS Professional Paper 1616. ISBN 0-607-92676-7.
- Wood, Charles A.; Kienle, Jürgen, eds. (1990). Volcanoes of North America. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-43811-X.