What is a glacial fjord?
Excerpts from an article titled “Fjords: an Under appreciated Feature of Our B.C. Landscape” published by David Cook, June Ryder and Bert Brink in the Spring 2005 issue of “Discovery”, the Vancouver Natural History Society magazine A fjord (or fiord) is a deep, glaciated (V-shaped) valley now occupied by an arm of the sea. Valley-sides are steep, and features such as hanging valleys, cliffed shorelines, and spectacular high waterfalls that plunge straight into the sea are common. On a map, fjords are long, narrow inlets. Some follow a straight line for tens of kilometers while others have straight segments separated by sharp bends because they follow weaknesses such as geological faults. Mostly calm and protected, they are ideal for a Vancouver Kayak Tour. The coastline of mainland British Columbia consists of many fjords that cut deeply inland into the Coast Mountains. There are about 50 major fjords and 400 smaller ones. In addition, fjord coastlines extend along the western sides of
