Seno Otway is a large inland

sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' b ...

lying between Brunswick Peninsula and

Riesco Island Riesco Island () lies at west of the Brunswick Peninsula, Chile. It is one of the largest islands in Chile, with an area of . Its highest point is Mount Atalaya at . The island is bordered by two large piedmont embayments: Otway Sound and Skyring ...

in southern

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

. Alternatively called Otway Sound, this natural waterway occupies a valley blocked by a large

terminal moraine A terminal moraine, also called end moraine, is a type of moraine that forms at the terminal (edge) of a glacier, marking its maximum advance. At this point, debris that has accumulated by plucking and abrasion, has been pushed by the front edge ...

left by the retreat of a

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as ...

during the last glacial period. In spite of being located east of the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

, it is connected to the open

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...

through the Strait of Magellan via a narrow passage, which cuts into the Andean Massif. Seno Otway also is

hydrological Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and environmental watershed sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is calle ...

ly connected with Seno Skyring by the Fitzroy Channel.

Ecology

There are a variety of marine species within the Otway Sound, as well as along the coastal terrestrial and

intertidal The intertidal zone, also known as the foreshore, is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide (in other words, the area within the tidal range). This area can include several types of habitats with various species ...

zones. Notably there is a moderately large colony of the

Magellanic penguin The Magellanic penguin (''Spheniscus magellanicus'') is a South American penguin, breeding in coastal Patagonia, including Argentina, Chile, and the Falkland Islands, with some migrating to Brazil and Uruguay, where they are occasionally seen a ...

along the coast of the Seno Otway.C.M. Hogan, 2008 Not to be confused with Otway Bay at the west entrance of the

Abra Channel Abra Channel (Spanish ''Canal Abra'', formerly ''Sea Shell Channel'') is one of the three channels which connects Magellan Strait with the Pacific Ocean (Others are Bárbara Channel and Magdalena Channel). It is located between the Santa Inés ...

References

* United States Geological Survey (USGS) ''P 1386-I Chile and Argentina - Wet Andes: Past Glaciation'

accessdate=2008-01-29 * C. Michael Hogan (2008) ''Magellanic Penguin'', GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromber

Line notes

Sounds of Chile Bodies of water of Magallanes Region {{MagellanAntarctic-geo-stub

Ecology

See also

References

Line notes