Alaska Range

Alaska Range
Rugged peaks of the Alaska Range near Denali
Highest point
Peak	Denali
Elevation	6,190.5 m (20,310 ft)
Coordinates	63°04′10″N 151°00′26″W / 63.06944°N 151.00722°W / 63.06944; -151.00722Coordinates: 63°04′10″N 151°00′26″W / 63.06944°N 151.00722°W / 63.06944; -151.00722
Geography
Country	United States
State	Alaska
Borders on	Pacific Coast Ranges

The Alaska Range is a relatively narrow, 650-km-long (400 mi) mountain range in the southcentral region of the U.S. state of Alaska, from Lake Clark at its southwest end to the White River in Canada's Yukon Territory in the southeast. The highest mountain in North America, Denali, is in the Alaska Range. It is part of the American Cordillera.

The range is the highest in the world outside of Asia and the Andes.

The range forms a generally east-west arc with its northernmost part in the center, and from there trending southwest towards the Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutians, and trending southeast into the Pacific Coast Ranges. The mountains act as a high barrier to the flow of moist air from the Gulf of Alaska northwards, and thus has some of the harshest weather in the world. The heavy snowfall also contributes to a number of large glaciers, including the Canwell, Castner, Black Rapids, Susitna, Yanert, Muldrow, Eldridge, Ruth, Tokositna, and Kahiltna Glaciers. Four major rivers cross the Range, including the Delta River, and Nenana River in the center of the range and the Nabesna and Chisana Rivers to the east.

The range is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, and the Denali Fault that runs along the southern edge of the range is responsible for a number of earthquakes. Mount Spurr is a stratovolcano located in the northeastern end of the Aleutian Volcanic Arc of Alaska, USA which has two vents, the summit and nearby Crater Peak.