Typology and classification of fjords and submarine piedmonts of Magallanes, Chile

The fjords, channels and submarine piedmonts studied in the Magellan region are correlated, in order to obtain a typology and regional classification of these landforms. The comparison was carried out using features described in former works by the author, keeping in mind the absence or presence of elements.

Four regional categories of submarine landforms were found: Central Patagonia type fjord, deep, with morainal banks and ponding esplanade; Magellan type

fjord, shallow, with few depositional landforms and exceptional morainal banks; piedmont lobe of internal zone, of grounding-line and marine transgression; and piedmont lobe of external zone, of pro-glacial esplanade and marine transgression. From the Pleistocenic ice paleodivide (proximal zone) to the distal end, the system is structured according to the following spatial sequence: Magellan type fjord, Central Patagonia type fjord, internal zone piedmont and external zone piedmont. If the ice paleodivide is the reference, the piedmont lobe esplanades are found only in the distal zone of the eastern-northeastem watershed and are placed on the Patagonian plateau. In exchange, the fjords are placed in the Andean dominion.