Welcome to You Ask Andy

Mika Andersen, age 11, of Fargo, N.D., for his question:

 HOW WERE THE FIORDS CREATED?

Fiords are long, narrow inlets of the sea. Fiord is a Norwegian word, applied to the deep bays and inlets along the rugged coastline of Norway. Geologists say that rivers probably cut these fiords and millions of years ago glaciers deepened them.

Most fiords have steep, rocky walls with thick woods and foaming, roaring waterfalls. Small stretches of fertile farmland lie below some of these cliffs.

The coast of Maine, British Columbia, Alaska and New Zealand contain inlets like Norway's fiords. Sea lock or firth is the name for such an inlet in Britain.

The southwest coast of the South Island of New Zealand also has many interesting fiords.

Firths are deep, narrow arms of the sea. The term is used mostly in Scotland, but the word actually comes from the language of Iceland. While a fiord will always have high walls, the walls of firths may sometimes be low.

 

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