Reloncaví Estuary
Encyclopedia
Fjord
Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...
off Reloncaví Sound
Reloncaví Sound
Reloncaví Sound or Seno de Reloncaví is a body of water located immediately south of Puerto Montt, Chile. It is the place where the Intermediate Depression falls into the Pacific Ocean. There are several islands in the sound including Tenglo Island, Maillén Island and Huar Island...
, located in Los Lagos Region
Los Lagos Region
Los Lagos Region is one of Chile's 15 regions, which are first order administrative divisions, and comprises four provinces: Chiloé, Llanquihue, Osorno and Palena. The region contains the country's second largest island, Chiloé, and the second largest lake, Llanquihue.Its capital is Puerto Montt;...
of Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. Several National Parks and Wilderness Areas are situated in the vicinity of this fjord. Among them are: Alerce Andino National Park
Alerce Andino National Park
Alerce Andino National Park is located in the Andes, in Los Lagos Region of Chile. This national park covers about 393 km². It is bounded by the Reloncaví Estuary on its east and south sides, and by the Reloncaví Sound to the west...
, Hornopirén National Park
Hornopirén National Park
Hornopirén National Park is located in the Andes, in the Palena Province of Chile's Los Lagos Region. The park contains of rugged mountains and unspoiled Valdivian temperate rain forests. This national park borders the northern portion of Pumalín Park. The Carretera Austral passes close to the park...
, Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park
Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park
Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park is located in Los Lagos Region, Llanquihue Province, of Chile. Its western entrance is close to the Ensenada locality, northeast of the provincial capital of Puerto Montt, and from Puerto Varas along Ruta CH-225. This national park covers about and is almost...
, Llanquihue National Reserve and the Cochamó Valley
Cochamó Valley
Cochamó Valley is a U-shaped valley located in the Andes, in Los Lagos Region of Chile, south of the Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park and the east of the Reloncaví Estuary. The valley has a striking similarity to Yosemite Valley. Like Yosemite, rock climbers from around the world come to climb...
. The Yate Volcano towers above this fjord. The Puelo River
Puelo River
The Puelo River has its origin in a lake of the same name in Argentine territory, and flows north-west throughthe Andes into the Reloncaví Estuary of the Reloncaví Sound at the northern end of the Gulf of Ancud. Its lower course is impeded in such a manner as to form the Lake Tagua Tagua...
empties into this estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
. It also receives the outflow of the Todos los Santos Lake
Todos los Santos Lake
Lake Todos los Santos is a lake located in the Los Lagos Region of southern Chile, 96 km northeast of the regional capital Puerto Montt and 76 km east of Puerto Varas, within the boundaries of the Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park. It has a surface area of 178.5 km² and a maximum depth of 337 m...
through the short tortuous Petrohué River
Petrohué River
Petrohué River is a Chilean river located in the Los Lagos Region of Chile. It originates from Todos los Santos Lake in the Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park...
.