Almirantazgo Fjord, also known as Almirantazgo Sound (Seno Almirantazgo in Spanish), is a Chile

Chile

Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

an fjord

Fjord

Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...

 cutting deeply into the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego

Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego

Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego is an island near the southern tip of South America from which it is separated by the Strait of Magellan...

. The fjord is a southeastern projection of Canal Whiteside, which separates the just mentioned island from Dawson Island

Dawson Island

Dawson Island is an island in the Strait of Magellan that forms part of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, 100 km south of the city of Punta Arenas in Chile, and part of the Municipality of Punta Arenas. It is located southeast of Brunswick Peninsula and is an approximately 1290 km² tract...

. It is located at 54°19′S 69°30′W and its south side branch out into several smaller fjords and bays, which significantly indent the north coast

Coast

A coastline or seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the dynamic nature of tides. The term "coastal zone" can be used instead, which is a spatial zone where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs...

line of the Cordillera Darwin

Cordillera Darwin

The Cordillera Darwin is an extensive mountain range mantled by an ice field. It is located in the southwestern portion of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, entirely within the Chilean territory. It is part of the longest Andes range and includes the highest mountains in Tierra del Fuego, with...

. Ainsworth Bay, one of those, is home to a colony of elephant seal

Elephant seal

Elephant seals are large, oceangoing seals in the genus Mirounga. There are two species: the northern elephant seal and the southern elephant seal . Both were hunted to the brink of extinction by the end of the 19th century, but numbers have since recovered...

s. Azopardo River

Azopardo River

The Azopardo River , is a river in Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, Chile at the southern tip of South America. It flows in a westerly direction and drains the waters of Fagnano Lake into Almirantazgo Fjord....

 empties into the head of the fjord.

Geography

Ainsworth Bay

Ainsworth Bay, Chile

Ainsworth Bay in the Tierra del Fuego region of Chile is a coastal inlet fed by the meltwater of Marinelli Glacier. The Marinelli Glacier is in a state of retreat.-References:*C. Michael Hogan. 2008...

, fed by the meltwater

Meltwater

Meltwater is the water released by the melting of snow or ice, including glacial ice and ice shelfs over oceans. Meltwater is often found in the ablation zone of glaciers, where the rate of snow cover is reducing...

 of Marinelli Glacier

Marinelli Glacier

Marinelli Glacier is a tidewater glacier located in Alberto de Agostini National Park, Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego. The glacier spills out from the backbone of the Cordillera Darwin and calves into Ainsworth Bay, an embayment of the Almirantazgo Fjord...

is a notable inlet along the Almirantazgo Fjord. The Marinelli Glacier has been in a state of retreat since at least 1960, and the retreat continues to the present time of 2008.