Seno Otway

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Seno Otway Magellanic penguin colony Magellanic penguin4.jpg
Seno Otway Magellanic penguin colony

Seno Otway is a large inland sound lying between Brunswick Peninsula and Riesco Island in southern Chile. Alternatively called Otway Sound, this natural waterway occupies a valley blocked by a large terminal moraine left by the retreat of a glacier during the last glacial period. [1] In spite of being located east of the Andes, it is connected to the open Pacific Ocean through the Strait of Magellan via a narrow passage, which cuts into the Andean Massif. Seno Otway also is hydrologically connected with Seno Skyring by the Fitzroy Channel.

Contents

Ecology

There are a variety of marine species within the Otway Sound, as well as along the coastal terrestrial and intertidal zones. Notably there is a moderately large colony of the Magellanic penguin along the coast of the Seno Otway. [2]

Not to be confused with Otway Bay at the west entrance of the Abra Channel.

See also

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Agostini Fjord

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Muñoz Gamero Peninsula

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Seno Skyring

Seno Skyring is a large inland sound lying north of Riesco Island and south of mainland South America in southern Chile. Alternatively called Skyring Sound, this natural waterway occupies a valley blocked by a large terminal moraine left by the retreat of a glacier during the last glacial period. In spite of being located east of the Andes, it is connected to the western, Pacific end of the Strait of Magellan through fjords that cut into the Andean Massif. Seno Skyring is also hydrologically connected with Seno Otway via the Fitzroy Channel. It measures approximately 50 mi (80 km) at its longest axis, which is oriented in an east-west direction, and averages between 8 mi (13 km) and 10 mi (16 km) wide.

References

Line notes

  1. USGS, 2008
  2. C.M. Hogan, 2008

Coordinates: 52°53′S71°07′W / 52.883°S 71.117°W / -52.883; -71.117