Saint Elias Mountains facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Saint Elias Mountains
Mt. Saint Elias
Highest point
Peak	Mount Logan
Elevation	5,959 m (19,551 ft)
Dimensions
Length	300 mi (480 km)
Width	90 mi (140 km)
Area	112,509 km2 (43,440 sq mi)
Geography
Saint Elias Mountains, east of the Wrangell Mountains
Countries	United States and Canada
Range coordinates	60°30′N 139°30′W / 60.500°N 139.500°W / 60.500; -139.500
Parent range	Pacific Coast Ranges

The Saint Elias Mountains (which are called Chaîne Saint-Élie in French) are a huge group of mountains. They are part of the Pacific Coast Ranges. You can find them in southeastern Alaska in the United States, and in southwestern Yukon and the very far northwestern part of British Columbia in Canada.

This mountain range is home to some amazing national parks. These include Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve in the United States. In Canada, you'll find Kluane National Park and Reserve. The range also covers all of Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska.

The Saint Elias Mountains got their name from Mount Saint Elias. This mountain was named in 1741 by a Danish explorer named Vitus Bering.

How the Saint Elias Mountains Formed

The Saint Elias Mountains are the tallest coastal mountain range on Earth! They formed because of how Earth's giant plates move. Imagine the Earth's surface is like a puzzle made of huge pieces called tectonic plates.

One of these pieces, a smaller one called the Yakutat microplate, is slowly sliding underneath the larger North American Plate. This process is called subduction. The Yakutat microplate is quite thick, about 20 to 30 kilometers (12 to 19 miles) deep.

This microplate is always moving northwest. It slides at about 50 millimeters (2 inches) each year. Because the Yakutat plate is so thick, it floats a bit. This causes the land above it (the North American plate) to push upwards. This upward push created the Saint Elias Mountains.

Yakutat Icefield – a large area of ice in southeast Alaska – in 2018.

The mountains grew as layers of rock and soil on top of the Yakutat plate got scraped off. These layers were pushed and folded. They now make up the southern parts of the Saint Elias Mountains. The very high peaks, like those near the Bagley Icefield, are made of rocks from the North American plate.

The highest peaks are found where the plates are pushing together the most. This area is called the St. Elias syntaxis. Here, the movement of the plates changes. This change causes a lot of stress in the Earth's crust. This stress, combined with the powerful force of glaciers, helps to create these incredibly tall mountains. It also brings rocks from deep underground up to the surface.

Parts of the Saint Elias Mountains

The Saint Elias Mountains are split into two main parts by an area called the Duke Depression.

• The Kluane Ranges are to the east. These mountains are shorter and have more rounded tops.
• The Icefield Ranges are to the west. These are much higher and covered in ice.

Other smaller groups of mountains within the Saint Elias range include the Alsek Ranges, the Fairweather Range, and the Centennial Range.

Tallest Mountains in the Range

Here are some of the highest mountains in the Saint Elias range:

See also

In Spanish: Montañas San Elías para niños