Located entirely within British Columbia, Canada, they run northwest from the lower stretches of the Fraser River to Bella Coola and Burke Channel,[1] north of which are the Kitimat Ranges.

Other than logging and various hydroelectric developments, and a large ski resort at Whistler, most of the land in the range is completely undeveloped.

Morphologically, centers include calderas, cinder cones, stratovolcanoes and small isolated lava masses.

Due to repeated continental and alpine glaciations, many of the volcanic deposits in the belt reflect complex interactions between magma composition, topography, and changing ice configurations.

The plates move at a relative rate of over 0.4 inches (10 mm) per year at a somewhat oblique angle to the subduction zone.

Instead, terranes and the accretionary wedge have been uplifted to form a series of coast ranges and exotic mountains.