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Geological Formations

Juan de Fuca Channel

Erosional and Karst Formations

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Juan de Fuca Channel is a submarine channel off the coast of Washington state, running from the continental shelf break near Vancouver Island into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It is nearly 4 miles wide and at least 450 yards deep, roughly twice the depth of the surrounding seafloor, and it carries between 20 and 30 times more deep water into Puget Sound than all of Earth's rivers combined. The resulting turbulent, hydraulically controlled flow mixes nutrients from the Pacific at rates far above the ocean's usual deep water levels, supporting the region's shellfish, salmon and whale populations.

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