COLUMBIA MOUNTAINS

range in southeastern British Columbia, Canada, that is bounded by the Rocky Mountain Trench (east), the Columbia River (south), the Interior Plateau (west), and the Fraser River (north). The Columbia Mountains parallel the Canadian Rockies, of which they are sometimes considered a western extension, for about 370 miles (600 km) in a northwesterly-southeasterly direction. The mountains comprise four distinct ranges (Cariboo, Monashee, Selkirk, and Purcell), each rising to over 10,000 feet (3,000 m). The Cariboo Mountains, separated from the others by the North Thompson River, form the northernmost extension of the system, while the southern part consists of the three parallel ranges of Monashee, Selkirk, and Purcell, which are divided by deep, lake-filled trenches. A major recreational area embracing both national and provincial parks, the Columbia Mountains are also a major source of gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc.