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Murchison Sound

Coordinates: 77°20′N 71°30′W / 77.333°N 71.500°W / 77.333; -71.500
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Murchison Sound
Uummannaq
Murchison Sound is located in Greenland
Murchison Sound
Murchison Sound
LocationNW Greenland
Coordinates77°20′N 71°30′W / 77.333°N 71.500°W / 77.333; -71.500
Part ofArctic Ocean
Ocean/sea sourcesBaffin Bay
Inglefield Gulf
Basin countriesGreenland
Max. length50 km (31 mi)
Max. width14 km (8.7 mi)
FrozenMost of the year
IslandsKiatak (Northumberland Island) and Qeqertarsuaq (Herbert Island)

The Murchison Sound (Danish: Murchison Sund; Greenlandic: Uummannaq) is a sound in the Avannaata municipality, NW Greenland.[1] It was named after Scottish geologist Roderick Murchison (1792 – 1871).

Geography

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It is a broad channel that runs roughly from northwest to southeast between the mouth of the Inglefield Fjord and Baffin Bay. It is 51.8 km wide between Cape Robertson and Hakluyt Island and its minimum width is 14 km.[2]

The Murchison Sound separates Prudhoe Land and Piulip Nuna —part of the Greenland mainland— to the north from Kiatak (Northumberland Island) and Qeqertarsuaq (Herbert Island) to the south with Cape Cleveland on the northern shore. On the south side of the islands the Whale Sound leads from the Baffin Bay to the Inglefield Fjord.[3]

The Robertson Fjord and the MacCormick Fjord have their mouths on the northern side of the sound.

Map of Northwestern Greenland
19th century map of the Inglefield Gulf.

References

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  1. ^ GoogleEarth
  2. ^ "Inglefield Bredning". Mapcarta. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  3. ^ Prostar Sailing Directions 2005 Greenland and Iceland Enroute, p. 88
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