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Saint
Elias Mountains are a rugged series of the world's
highest coastal mountains. They stand along the southeastern
boundary of Alaska and the Yukon Territory. The range
is nearly 300 miles (480 kilometers) long. It has a
maximum width of about 90 miles (140 kilometers), excluding
the coastal plain and foothill belt. The international
boundary is 30 miles (48 kilometers) from the coast
between Mount St. Elias and Mount Fairweather.
The
second and fourth highest peaks in North America stand
in the Saint Elias Mountains. They are Mount Logan (19,524
feet, or 5,951 meters) in the Yukon Territory, and Mount
St. Elias (18,008 feet, or 5,489 meters) in Alaska.
Twelve other peaks in the range, including Mounts Vancouver,
Fairweather, and Hubbard, are higher than any other
U.S. peaks outside Alaska.
The ruggedness of the range prevents extensive exploration.
Many peaks are unnamed. The mountains are composed chiefly
of sedimentary and volcanic rocks of the Paleozoic and
Mesozoic ages. The range has frequent rains. Glaciers
can be found throughout the mountain area. The largest
glacier, called Malaspina, is larger than the state
of Rhode Island.
Reading
date: May 20-24, 2002
The
reading on Saint Elias Mountains was organized by Dr.
Gregory Heming and Quill
Creek Institute's International Symposium on Wisdom
and Wilderness and Icefields Discovery.
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