Laurentian Channel
The Laurentian Channel is a deep submarine valley off the coast of eastern Canada in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.
| Laurentian Channel | |
|---|---|
Laurentian Channel | |
| Location | Gulf of Saint Lawrence |
| Coordinates | 48°30′00″N 62°00′00″W |
| Type | Undersea Feature, Valley |
| Part of | Saint Lawrence River, Gulf of Saint Lawrence |
| River sources | Saint Lawrence River |
| Ocean/sea sources | Atlantic ocean |
| Basin countries | Canada |
| Max. length | 750 nautical miles (1,390 km; 860 mi) |
| Max. width | 30 nautical miles (56 km; 35 mi) |
| Surface area | 35,840 square kilometres (13,840 sq mi) |
| References | Geographical Names of Canada - Laurentian Channel |
The channel is of glacial origin and is the submerged valley of the historic Saint Lawrence River, running 1,400 kilometres (870 mi) from a sharp escarpment downstream from the confluence of the St. Lawrence with the Saguenay River, past Anticosti Island and through the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the edge of the continental shelf off the island of Newfoundland.
Its depth ranges from 180–550 metres (590–1,800 ft) with sub-tidal shelves on each side of the channel ranging in depths of less than 100 metres (330 ft). The channel ranges from a minimum width of 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) to as much as 55 kilometres (34 mi) at the Laurentian fan which is located at the edge of the continental shelf.
Deep waters with temperatures between 2 and 6.5 °C (36 and 44 °F) enter the Gulf at the continental slope and are slowly advected up the channel by estuariane circulation. Over the 20th century, the bottom waters of the end of the channel (i.e. in the Saint Lawrence estuary) have become hypoxic.