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Fjord or Fiord (Old Norse Fjörthr), inlet of the sea, or a narrow bay, extending far inland between steep walls of rock. Fjords usually have branches that jut from the main body of water. The walls of a fjord extend deep below the surface of the water. Fjords tend to be most shallow near the mouth, and deepest inland.
Most geologists believe that fjords were formed when glaciers carved deep grooves in the coastline. Later these grooves filled with water as the sea level rose. Many fjords began as river mouths and were deepened by glaciers.
Many of the world's fjords are located along the coast of Norway. Sognafjorden, Norway's longest fjord, extends inland for about 204 km (about 127 mi) and attains a depth of more than 1308 m (4291 ft). Fjords are also found along the coasts of British Columbia, Alaska, Iceland, Greenland, Nova Scotia, Maine, southern Argentina, and New Zealand. Inlets called sea lochs, or firths, which mark the coast of Britain, are similar to fjords. |
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Kenai Fjords National Park, south central Alaska, occupying the southeastern portion of the Kenai Peninsula, on the Gulf of Alaska; established as a national monument 1978, as a national park 1980. The park has a diversity of landscapes, including deep coastal fjords, lush rain forests, and active glaciers, the largest of which is the 800-sq km (300-sq mi) Harding Icefield. The coastal area and offshore islands are frequented by seals, sea lions, sea otters, and numerous species of birds, such as puffins and auklets, that breed here. Area, 271,399 hectares (670,643 acres).
Reviewed by: National Park Service |
