Amazon Canyon

3°18′N 48°24′W / 3.3°N 48.4°W / 3.3; -48.4

The Amazon Canyon is a submarine canyon within the Amazon Fan in the Atlantic Ocean, located approximately 200 mi (322 km) from the mouth of the Amazon River, near South America. It covers an area of 2,250 km2 (870 sq mi).[1] It was formed in the mid to late Miocene period.[1] The canyon is believed to have formed through mass failures, and subsequently evolved through underwater erosion.[2] Because of its relatively small size, the canyon has been extensively mapped.[2]

  1. ^ a b John E. Damuth, Naresh Kumar, GSA Bulletin; June 1975; v. 86; no. 6; p. 863–878; doi:10.1130/0016-7606(1975)86<863:ACMSAA>2.0.CO;2, available at [1].
  2. ^ a b William R. Normark and Paul R. Carlson, "Giant submarine canyons: Is size any clue to their importance in the rock record?", Extreme depositional environments: mega end members in geologic time, Geological Society of America: Boulder, Colorado, 2003, p 184.