the Bay of Kotor), which are drowned valleys flooded by the rising sea. These characteristics distinguish fjords from rias (e.g. Saltstraumen in Norway is often described as the world's strongest tidal current. In many cases this sill causes extreme currents and large saltwater rapids (see skookumchuck). Fjords generally have a sill or shoal (bedrock) at their mouth caused by the previous glacier's reduced erosion rate and terminal moraine.

Most fjords are deeper than the adjacent sea Sognefjord, Norway, reaches as much as 1,300 m (4,265 ft) below sea level. In some cases, this rebound is faster than sea level rise. Glacial melting is accompanied by the rebounding of Earth's crust as the ice load and eroded sediment is removed (also called isostasy or glacial rebound). Thresholds above sea level create freshwater lakes. Such valleys are fjords when flooded by the ocean. The work of the glacier then left an overdeepened U-shaped valley that ends abruptly at a valley or trough end. According to the standard model, glaciers formed in pre-glacial valleys with a gently sloping valley floor. Folgefonna on the right hand.Ī true fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by ice segregation and abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Formation A glacier in eastern Greenland flowing through a fjord carved by the movement of ice Illustration of how a fjord is created Sørfjorden (Hardanger) with Sandvinvatnet and Odda Valley can be clearly seen as continuation of the fjord. Norway's coastline is estimated to be 29,000 km (18,000 mi) long with its nearly 1,200 fjords, but only 2,500 km (1,600 mi) long excluding the fjords. Fjords exist on the coasts of Antarctica, British Columbia ( Canada), Chile, Denmark, Germany, Greenland ( Denmark), the Faroe Islands ( Denmark), Montenegro, Iceland, Ireland, Kamchatka (Russia), the Kerguelen Islands ( France), Newfoundland and Labrador (Canada), New Zealand, Norway, Novaya Zemlya ( Russia), Nunavut (Canada), Quebec (Canada), Argentina, Russia, South Georgia Island ( United Kingdom), Tasmania ( Australia), Scotland and the states of Washington, Maine, and Alaska ( United States). In physical geography, a fjord or fiord ( / ˈ f j ɔːr d, f iː ˈ ɔːr d/ ⓘ ) is a long, narrow sea inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. For other uses, see Fjord (disambiguation).

Fjord norway scenery