Kevin Brown, age 14, of Providence, R.I., for his question:

WHERE IS THE WORLD'S HIGHEST COAST MOUNTAIN RANGE?

St. Elias Mountains are the world's highest coastal mountains. They stand along the southeastern boundary of Alaska and Canada's Yukon Territory.

The range is nearly 300 miles long and has a maximum width of 100 miles.

The second and fourth highest peaks in North America stand in the St. Elias Mountains. They are mount Logan (19,850 feet) in the Yukon Territory and Mount St. Elias (18,008) in Alaska. Twelve other peaks in this range, including mounts Vancouver, Fairweather and Hubbard, are higher than any other U.S. peaks outside Alaska.

The ruggedness of the range prevents extensive exploration. Many peaks are unnamed.

The mountains are composed chiefly of sedimentary and volcanic rocks of the Paleozoic and Mesozoic ages. The range has frequent rains.

Glaciers can be found throughout the mountain area. The largest glacier, called Malaspina, is larger than the state of Rhode Island.