Anegada Passage

Anegada Passage
Map of the British Virgin Islands, with the Anegada Passage labeled at right side.
Anegada Passage is located in Lesser Antilles
Anegada Passage
Anegada Passage
Anegada Passage is located in Caribbean
Anegada Passage
Anegada Passage
LocationBritish Virgin Islands
Anguilla
Coordinates18°22′41″N 63°50′15″W / 18.37806°N 63.83750°W / 18.37806; -63.83750
Max. length200 kilometres (120 mi)
Max. width65 kilometres (40 mi)
Average depth2,300 metres (7,500 ft)

The Anegada Passage /ˌænəˈɡɑːdə/, also known as the Anegada Trough, is a strait in the Caribbean that separates the British Virgin Islands and the British ruled Sombrero Island of Anguilla, and connects the Caribbean and the Atlantic Ocean. It is 2300 m deep. Because the threshold depths are 1800 and 1600 m, Atlantic deep water from 1600 m level may flow into the deep areas in the Caribbean Sea.[1]

The Anegada Passage is a key shipping lane for the Panama Canal.[2] Often called the "Oh-my-god-a Passage",[3] it is considered a difficult passage for sailors because of the winds, waves, and swells.[4]

The Anegada Passage was the site of the 1867 Virgin Islands earthquake and subsequent tsunami.[5][6]

  1. ^ "Anegada Passage". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  2. ^ "The World Factbook". CIA. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  3. ^ "The "Oh-my-god-a Passage"". Motivator. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  4. ^ "Anegada Passage". SV Party of Five. Archived from the original on 1 August 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  5. ^ "Significant Earthquake". NOAA. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  6. ^ Barkan, R.; Ten Brink, U. (2010). "Tsunami Simulations of the 1867 Virgin Island Earthquake: Constraints on Epicenter Location and Fault Parameters". Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America. 100 (3): 995. Bibcode:2010BuSSA.100..995B. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.544.6624. doi:10.1785/0120090211.