Coast Mountains
Major mountain range in western North America.
The range includes volcanic and non-volcanic mountains and extensive ice fields, and is part of the larger Pacific Mountain System and the American Cordillera.
- subdivisions
- Pacific Ranges, Kitimat Ranges, Boundary Ranges
- part_of
- Pacific Coast Ranges, American Cordillera, Pacific Ring of Fire
Lore & Background
The Coast Mountains consist of three subdivisions: the Pacific Ranges, the Kitimat Ranges, and the Boundary Ranges. Mount Waddington, the highest mountain of the range, lies in the Waddington Range of the Pacific Ranges.
Reader's Guide
The Coast Mountains are significant for their role in shaping the climate of British Columbia. By forcing moisture-laden air off the Pacific Ocean to rise, they drop heavy rainfall on their western slopes, supporting dense temperate rainforests, while the eastern slopes are relatively dry and protect the Interior Plateau from Pacific weather systems. Geologically, the range is built from several terranes of different ages and tectonic origins, including deformed igneous and metamorphosed pre-Tertiary rocks. The range's formation involved the collision of the Insular Islands with the continental margin and subsequent volcanic activity from the Coast Range Arc. The Coast Mountains remain largely undeveloped except for logging and the ski resort at Whistler.
Did You Know?
- The Coast Mountains extend from southwestern Yukon through the Alaska Panhandle and virtually all of the Coast of British Columbia south to the Fraser River.
- The Pacific Ranges include four of the five major coastal icecaps in the southern Coast Mountains, which are the largest temperate-latitude icecaps in the world.
- Mount Waddington, the highest mountain of the range, lies in the Waddington Range of the Pacific Ranges.
- The Coast Mountains are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire and contain volcanoes of the Garibaldi Volcanic Belt and the Northern Cordilleran Volcanic Province.
- The range's formation involved the collision of the Insular Islands with the continental margin and subsequent volcanic activity from the Coast Range Arc.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where exactly are the Coast Mountains located?
They run along the Pacific coast of western North America, from southwestern Yukon through the Alaska Panhandle and down the British Columbia coast to the Fraser River. The range is a core component of the Pacific Coast Ranges.
What is the highest peak in the Coast Mountains?
Mount Waddington tops the range at 4,019 m (13,186 ft) above sea level. It is situated within the Pacific Ranges subdivision.
How large are the Coast Mountains overall?
The range stretches roughly 1,600 km (about 1,000 mi) in length and averages around 300 km (190 mi) in width. That makes it one of the most extensive mountain systems on the North American west coast.
What are the main subdivisions of the Coast Mountains?
The range is broken into three sections: the Pacific Ranges, the Kitimat Ranges, and the Boundary Ranges. Collectively they contain both volcanic and non-volcanic peaks as well as extensive ice fields.
Which larger geological systems do the Coast Mountains belong to?
They are part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, the broader American Cordillera, and the Pacific Mountain System. Their position within the Pacific Ring of Fire also accounts for the volcanic features found in portions of the range.
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