Coast Mountains
Range
The Coast Mountains, including Mount Waddington (far background, center) viewed from a distance
Country	Canada
Province	British Columbia
Part of	Pacific Cordillera
Highest point	Mount Waddington
- elevation	4,019 m (13,186 ft)
- coordinates	51°22′30″N 125°15′30″W / 51.375, -125.25833

The Coast Mountains are a mountain range of the Pacific Cordillera, running along the north western shore of the North American continent, extending south from the Alaska Panhandle and covering most of coastal British Columbia. Mount Waddington, once known as Mystery Mountain, is the highest peak in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C The Pacific Coast Ranges are the series of Mountain ranges that stretch along the west coast of North America from Alaska to northern and central Mexico Mount Waddington, once known as Mystery Mountain, is the highest peak in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit A mountain range is a chain of Mountains bordered by highlands or separated from other mountains by passes or valleys The Pacific Coast Ranges are the series of Mountain ranges that stretch along the west coast of North America from Alaska to northern and central Mexico The Alaska Panhandle, sometimes referred to as Southeast Alaska, is the southeastern portion of the U British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C They are part of a larger grouping, the Pacific Coast Ranges, which includes the Alaska Range, the Chugach Mountains, the Saint Elias Mountains, the Cascade Range, the Sierra Nevada and the Sierra Madre Occidental in Mexico. The Pacific Coast Ranges are the series of Mountain ranges that stretch along the west coast of North America from Alaska to northern and central Mexico The Alaska Range is a relatively narrow 650-km-long (400 mi Mountain range in the southcentral region of the U The Chugach Mountains of southern Alaska are the northernmost of the several Mountain ranges that make up the Pacific Coast Ranges of the western edge The Saint Elias Mountains are a subgroup of the Pacific Coast Ranges located in southeastern Alaska ( United States) southwestern Yukon and the The Sierra Nevada ( Spanish for "Snowy Range" is a Mountain range located in the U The Sierra Madre Occidental is a mountain range in western Mexico and the extreme southwest of the United States, extending 1500 km from southeast Arizona The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America.

The Coast Mountains are approximately 1600 km long and average 200 km in width. Its southern and southeastern boundaries are described by the Fraser River and the Interior Plateau. For other uses of this name see Fraser River (disambiguation. Interior Plateau comprises a large region of central British Columbia, and lies between the Cariboo and Monashee Mountains on the east and the Hazelton North of the Nechako Diversion, the Coast Mountains are flanked on the inland side by the Hazelton Mountains, the Skeena Mountains, the Stikine Plateau and the Tahltan and Tagish Highlands. Hazelton Mountains are a grouping of mountain ranges on the inland lee of the Kitimat Ranges of the Coast Mountains in northwestern British Columbia, Skeena Mountains, also known as the Skeenas, are a mountain range in the north-central Interior of the Canadian province of British Columbia, Its far northwestern edge is delimited by the Kelsall River at the north end of the Alaska Panhandle, beyond which are the Saint Elias Mountains. The Alaska Panhandle, sometimes referred to as Southeast Alaska, is the southeastern portion of the U

Covered in dense temperate rainforest on its western exposures, the range rises to heavily glaciated peaks, including the largest temperate-latitude icefields in the world. Temperate rainforests are Coniferous or broadleaf Forests that occur in the Temperate zone and receive high rainfall "Glacial" and "Glaciation" redirect here For the geological periods see Glacial period. It then tapers to the dry interior plateau on its eastern flanks, or to the subarctic boreal forest of the Skeena Mountains and Stikine Plateau.

The Coast Mountains were formed when an active volcanic arc, called the Insular Islands, collided against the Pacific Northwest about 115 million years ago. A volcanic arc is a chain of volcanic islands or Mountains formed by Plate tectonics as an oceanic Tectonic plate subducts under The Insular Islands were a giant chain of active Volcanic islands somewhere in the Pacific Ocean during the Cretaceous time that rode on top a microplate The Pacific Northwest is a region in the northwest of North America (the term refers to the land not the ocean Over millions of years, the Insular Islands had their summits worn down and isostatic rebound has caused their solidified magma chambers to rise, forming the Coast Mountains. Post-glacial rebound (sometimes called continental rebound, isostatic rebound, isostatic adjustment or post-ice-age isostatic recovery) A magma chamber is a large underground pool of molten rock lying under the surface of the earth's crust

During the early to middle Miocene, the Coast Mountains were favored thermally-driven uplift arising from the Miocene passage of the Anahim hotspot beneath the range, and response to convergence in late Miocene-Pliocene time. The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene period and extends from about 23 The Anahim hotspot is a volcanic hotspot in central British Columbia, Canada. The Pliocene epoch (spelled Pleiocene in some older texts is the period in the Geologic timescale that extends

Mount Waddington, at 4,019 metres (13,186 ft), is the highest peak in the Coast Mountains and also the highest peak entirely within British Columbia. Mount Waddington, once known as Mystery Mountain, is the highest peak in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C

Although the Coast Mountains are commonly considered to be the westernmost range of the Pacific Cordillera, the Insular Mountains are the true westernmost range,^[1] which includes Vancouver Island and the Queen Charlotte Islands. The Pacific Coast Ranges are the series of Mountain ranges that stretch along the west coast of North America from Alaska to northern and central Mexico The Insular Mountains are a Mountain range on the coast of British Columbia, Canada, comprising the Vancouver Island Ranges and Queen Vancouver Island is a large Island in British Columbia, Canada, one of several North American regions named after George Vancouver, the British The Queen Charlotte Islands or Haida Gwaii ("Islands of the People" and originally in Haida, Xhaaidlagha Gwaayaai ("islands on

The Coast Mountains.

The largest icefield in the Coast Mountains is the Ha-Iltzuk Icefield. An ice field (also spelled icefield) is an area less than 50000 km² (19305 mile²) of Ice often found in the colder climates and higher altitudes The Ha-Iltzuk Icefield is an Icefield in the central Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in British Columbia, Canada.

Significant peaks

Subranges

There are several subdivisions of the Coast Mountains. Mount Waddington, once known as Mystery Mountain, is the highest peak in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. Monarch Mountain is one of the principal summits of the Pacific Ranges subdivision of the Coast Mountains in southern British Columbia. Skihist Mountain is the highest peak in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Mount Queen Bess is one of the principal summits of the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains of southern British Columbia. Wedge Mountain is the highest summit in Garibaldi Provincial Park, and is visible from the Whistler Blackcomb Ski Area Mount Silverthrone, officially gazetted as Silverthrone Mountain, is a Mountain in Regional District of Mount Waddington British Columbia, located These include:

• The Boundary Ranges, which lie along the BC-Alaska border from the mouth of the Nass River to the Chilkoot Pass and include the vast Juneau Icefield and the even vaster Stikine Icecap. The Boundary Ranges, also known in the singular and as the Alaska Boundary Range, are the largest and most northerly subrange of the Coast Mountains. The Nass River is a river in northern British Columbia, Canada. Chilkoot Pass (el 1067 m/3500 ft is a high Mountain pass through the Coast Mountains in the U The Juneau Icefield or Juneau Icecap is an Ice field located just north of Juneau, Alaska and continues north through the border with British Stikine Icecap (sometimes referred to as the Stikine Icefield) is a large Icefield straddled on the Alaska &ndash British Columbia boundary in
• The Kitimat Ranges, which lie between the Nass and Bella Coola
• The Pacific Ranges, which lie between Bella Coola and the Lower Mainland. The Kitimat Ranges are one of the three main subdivisions of the Coast Mountains in Canada the other being the Pacific Ranges and Boundary Ranges. The Nass River is a river in northern British Columbia, Canada. Bella Coola is a community of approximately 600 at the western extremity of the Bella Coola valley The Pacific Ranges are the southernmost subdivision of the Coast Mountains portion of the Pacific Cordillera. Bella Coola is a community of approximately 600 at the western extremity of the Bella Coola valley The Lower Mainland is a name commonly applied to the region surrounding Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Pacific Ranges contain the largest temperate-latitude icecaps in the world, each 25-40 km in diameter. These include the Ha-Iltzuk (Silverthrone), Klinaklini, Monarch, Waddington, Homathko, Lillooet and Pemberton Icecaps.
• The Chilcotin Ranges, which run on the inland lea of the Pacific Ranges between the head of the Klinaklini River and the confluence of the Bridge River and Fraser River near Lillooet. Chilcotin Ranges are a subdivision of the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains (in some classifications they are a separate subdivision The Klinaklini River is one of the major rivers of the Pacific Ranges section of the Coast Mountains in British Columbia. The Bridge River is or was a major tributary of British Columbia's Fraser River, entering that stream about six miles upstream from the town of Lillooet For other uses of this name see Fraser River (disambiguation. Lillooet (formerly Cayoosh Flat) is a small but historic and highly scenic community on the Fraser River in western The Chilcotin Ranges are sometimes considered part of the Pacific Ranges.
• The Lillooet Ranges, lying between the Harrison-Lillooet drainage and the Fraser River, south of the BCR line. The Lillooet Ranges are the southeasternmost subdivision of the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains of British Columbia. The Lillooet Ranges are sometimes considered part of the Pacific Ranges.
• The Front Ranges, which include the North Shore Mountains of Greater Vancouver and the coastal-lying lower ranges of the Sunshine Coast and skirting the coastal archipelago. The North Shore Mountains are a range of mountains overlooking the Greater Vancouver Regional District. Vancouver (vænˈkuːvɚ is a coastal The Sunshine Coast is a region of the southern mainland coast of British Columbia, on the eastern shore of the Strait of Georgia, and just northwest of

There are innumerable smaller named ranges, and informal names for many groupings, within these subdivisions. Some neighbouring ranges can be found in Interior Plateau and the Hazelton Mountains section of the Skeena Mountains (which are not part of the Coast Mountains but just inland). Interior Plateau comprises a large region of central British Columbia, and lies between the Cariboo and Monashee Mountains on the east and the Hazelton Hazelton Mountains are a grouping of mountain ranges on the inland lee of the Kitimat Ranges of the Coast Mountains in northwestern British Columbia, Skeena Mountains, also known as the Skeenas, are a mountain range in the north-central Interior of the Canadian province of British Columbia,

References

Coordinates: 54°00′N 128°00′W / 54, -128