View source for Boundary Ranges

{{short description|Subrange of the Coast Mountains in Alaska, British Columbia, and Yukon}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name              = Boundary Ranges
| other_name        = Alaska Boundary Range
| photo             = Juneau Icefield.jpg
| photo_size        = 275
| photo_caption     = View of the [[Juneau Icefield]].
| country           = {{hlist|[[Canada]]|[[United States]]}}
| subdivision2_type = States/Provinces
| subdivision2      = {{hlist|[[Alaska]]|[[British Columbia]]|[[Yukon]]}}
| parent            = [[Coast Mountains]]
| range_coordinates = 
| area_km2          = 87101
| geology           = 
| orogeny           =
| highest           = [[Mount Ratz]]
| highest_location  = [[British Columbia]]
| elevation_m       = 3090
| coordinates       = {{coord|57|23|35.2|N|132|18|11.2|W|type:mountain|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| map_image         = Northwest-relief.2_BoundaryRanges.png
| map_caption       = Location map of Boundary Ranges; marine shoreline-boundary not shown
| map_size          = 275
}}

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]].  They begin at the [[Nass River]], near the southern end of the [[Alaska Panhandle]] in the [[Canadian province]] of [[British Columbia]] and run to the [[Kelsall River]], near the [[Chilkoot Pass]], beyond which are the [[Alsek Ranges]] of the [[Saint Elias Mountains]], and northwards into the [[Yukon Territory]] flanking the west side of the [[Yukon River]] drainage as far as [[Champagne, Yukon|Champagne Pass]], north of which being the [[Yukon Ranges]].  To their east are the [[Skeena Mountains]] and [[Stikine Plateau]] of the [[Interior Mountains]] complex that lies northwest of the [[Interior Plateau]]; the immediately adjoining subregion of the Stikine Plateau is the [[Tahltan Highland]].  To their northeast is the [[Tagish Highland]], which is a subregion of the [[Yukon Plateau]].  Both highlands are considered in some descriptions as included in the Coast Mountains.  The [[Alexander Archipelago]] lies offshore and is entirely within [[Alaska]].

The Boundary Ranges include several large icefields, including the [[Juneau Icefield]], between the Alaskan city of the same name and [[Atlin Lake]] in [[British Columbia|B.C.]]; and the [[Stikine Icecap]], which lies between the lower [[Stikine River]] and the [[Whiting River]].  Some of the highest mountains in the Boundary Ranges are: [[Mount Ratz]], {{cvt|3090.|m}}; [[Chutine Peak]], {{cvt|2910.|m}}; and [[Devils Thumb]], {{cvt|2766|m}}, all in the [[Stikine Icecap]] region; and [[Devils Paw]], {{cvt|2593|m}}, in the [[Juneau Icefield]]. (Other peaks in the [[Stikine Icecap]] are higher than {{cvt|2600.|m}}, but they have relatively low [[topographic prominence]].)

Despite the height of [[Mount Ratz]] and its neighbours, most of the Boundary Ranges are considerably lower than the [[Pacific Ranges]] of the southern [[Coast Mountains]].  The larger icefields of the Boundary Ranges are at a much lower elevation than their southern counterparts in the [[Pacific Ranges]] because of the difference in latitude.

Physiographically, they are a section of the larger Pacific Border province, which in turn is part of the larger [[Western Cordillera (North America)|Pacific Mountain System]] physiographic division.

The [[granite|granitic]] [[intrusion]]s that form the Boundary Ranges are remnants of a [[Late Cretaceous]] [[volcanic arc]] system called the [[Coast Range Arc]].

==Subranges==
{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
*[[Boundary Range]]<!--NB not the same as the "Ranges" see BCGNIS 445-->
*[[Cheja Range]]
*[[Chechidla Range]]
*[[Chutine Icefield]]
*[[Adam Mountains]]
*[[Ashington Range]]
*[[Burniston Range]]
*[[Dezadeash Range]]
*[[Florence Range]]
*[[Halleck Range]]
*[[Juneau Icefield]]
*[[Kahpo Mountains]]
*[[Kakuhan Range]]
*[[Lincoln Mountains]]
*[[Longview Range]]
*[[Peabody Mountains]]
*[[Rousseau Range]]
*[[Seward Mountains (Alaska)|Seward Mountains]]
*[[Snowslide Range]]
*[[Spectrum Range]]
*[[Stikine Icecap]]
{{div col end}}

==Rivers==
Rivers draining or transiting the Boundary Ranges include the:
{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
*[[Chilkat River]]
*[[Choquette River]]
*[[Craig River]]
*[[Iskut River]]
*[[Kelsall River]]
*[[Keta River]]
*[[King Salmon Creek]]
*[[Klehini River]]
*[[Lava Fork]]
*[[Nass River]]
*[[Porcupine River (British Columbia)|Porcupine River]]
*[[Salmon River (Portland Canal)|Salmon River]]
*[[Scud River]]
*[[Skagway River]]
*[[Stikine River]]
*[[Taiya River]]
*[[Taku River]]
*[[Tulsequah River]]
*[[Unuk River]]
*[[Whiting River]]
{{div col end}}

== See also ==

*[[List of Boundary Peaks of the Alaska-British Columbia/Yukon border]]

==References==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160304185301/http://www.empr.gov.bc.ca/Mining/Geoscience/PublicationsCatalogue/BulletinInformation/BulletinsAfter1940/Documents/Bull48-txt.pdf S. Holland, ''Landforms of British Columbia'', Province of British Columbia, 1976, pp 38-39]
**[https://web.archive.org/web/20160303182612/http://www.empr.gov.bc.ca/Mining/Geoscience/PublicationsCatalogue/BulletinInformation/BulletinsAfter1940/Documents/Bull48-physiographic-map.pdf map from ''Bulletin 48: Landforms of British Columbia'']
*{{gnis|1893715}}
*{{BCGNIS|12650|Boundary Ranges}}

==External links==
*[http://www.bivouac.com/ArxPg.asp?ArxId=1641 Boundary Ranges] of the Canadian Mountain Encyclopedia

{{Boundary Ranges}}
{{Coast Mountains}}

[[Category:Boundary Ranges| ]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of British Columbia]]
[[Category:Physiographic sections]]