The Copper River Basin is a nearly closed basin, floor elevations around 1500' - 2000', at the junction of the Copper and Chitina Rivers. The basin is bounded by the Talkeetna Mountains on the west, the Alaska Range on the north, the Wrangell-St Elias Range on the east, and the Chugach Range on the south. The Copper River drains to the Pacific through a narrow canyon in the Chugach Range. During glacial times, this canyon was filled with ice and an ice- dammed lake filled the basin. Since then, the rivers have cut into the lake sediments and generally flow below the level of the basin floor.
Click to learn more about the observing station in Gulkana.