Alaska Range

Mountain chain in southern Alaska, a continuation of the Coast Ranges, which forms a barrier between the coast and the interior of the state. Running in an arc south of Fairbanks and north of Anchorage, it is variously regarded as extending for some 650–1,000 km (400–600 mi), between the Alaska Peninsula in the west and the Yukon border in the east. The Alaska Range includes the granitic Mount Mount McKinley (6,194 m/20,320 ft), the highest peak in North America.

Other significant summits in the Alaska Range include Mount Foraker (5,304 m/17,400 ft), from which the Herron Glacier originates; Mount Hunter (4,442 m/14,573 ft); Mount Brown (4,429 m/14,530 ft); Mount Hayes (4,216 m/13,832 ft), site of the Susitna Glacier; Mount Silverthrone (4,029 m/13,220); and the Cathedral Spires (2,739 m/8,985 ft) in the southwest. Mount Spurr (3,374 m/11,070 ft), a volcano situated 130 km/80 mi west of Anchorage, erupted in 1992 after lying dormant for 39 years. Geologically, the older parts of the jagged range are composed of sedimentary rocks weathered by erosion.