- Saint Elias Mountains
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Segment of the Pacific Coast Ranges in the southwestern Yukon Territory of Canada and eastern Alaska, U.S. The mountains extend southeast about 250 mi (400 km) from the Wrangell Mountains to Cross Sound along the Canada-U.S. border.Many peaks exceed 17,000 ft (5,200 km), including Mount St. Elias (18,008 ft [5,489 km]) and Mount Logan. In 1741 Vitus Bering sighted Mount St. Elias from his ship and became the first official European discoverer of northwestern America. The mountains contain the world's most extensive ice fields outside the polar ice caps. The southern end of the range forms part of Glacier Bay National Park.
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▪ mountains, North Americasegment of the Pacific Coast Ranges, extending southeastward for about 250 miles (400 km) from the Wrangell Mountains to Cross Sound along the Canada–United States (Alaska) border. Many peaks exceed 17,000 feet (5,200 m), including Mount St. Elias, Mount Logan (second only in height in North America to Mount McKinley and the highest in Canada), Mount King, and Mount Lucania. The Wrangell, Chugach, and Kenai mountains (northwest) and the Fairweather Range (south) are sometimes considered part of the group. The St. Elias Mountains hold the world's most extensive ice fields outside the polar ice caps, extending south and east for 235 miles from the eastern part of the Chugach Mountains to the Alsek River and including the Malaspina, Guyat, Seward, Bering, and Hubbard glaciers. The southern end of the range forms part of Glacier Bay National Park.* * *
Universalium. 2010.