Kangiqtualuk Uqquqti

Kangiqtualuk Uqquqti (Inuktitut syllabics: ᑲᖏᖅᑐᐊᓗᒃ ᐅᖅᑯᖅᑎ[1]) formerly Sam Ford Fiord[2] is an isolated, elongated Arctic fjord on Baffin Island's northeastern coast in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada.[3] The Inuit settlement of Pond Inlet is 320 km (200 mi) to the northwest and Clyde River is 80 km (50 mi) to the east.

Kangiqtualuk Uqquqti
Kangiqtualuk Uqquqti
Location in Nunavut
LocationBaffin Island, Nunavut
Coordinates70°43′51″N 070°43′53″W
TypeFjord
Ocean/sea sourcesBaffin Bay
Basin countriesCanada
Max. length110 km (68 mi)
Max. width19 km (12 mi)

This fjord is reputed for the harsh beauty of its landscapes with rocky cliffs rising steeply from the shore.[4] It is also a popular place with climbers.[5]

History

Kangiqtualuk Uqquqti had been one of the traditional hunting areas of the Inuit.[6] It was renamed in memory of Inuk linguist Sam Ford, who died in a helicopter crash[7] but it has since reverted to its original name.

Geography
Western shoreline of Kangiqtualuk Uqquqti about 15 km (9.3 mi) from its mouth

Kangiqtualuk Uqquqti stretches roughly from north northeast to south southwest for about 110 km (68 mi). Its mouth, located between the Remote Peninsula and Erik Point, is over 18 km (11 mi) wide, the width of the fjord narrowing gradually to an average of 3 km (1.9 mi) about 50 km (31 mi) inland. Kangiqtualuk Agguqti is a tributary fjord branching west from the fjord's western shore about 45 km (28 mi) to the south of its mouth. The Stewart Valley —with Sail Peaks stretches northwards from Walker Arm's nortwest corner and connects with the neighbouring Gibbs Fiord. Swiss Bay is a smaller inlet on the eastern shore of Sam Ford Fiord connecting through Ottawa Creek and Atagulisaktalik with the inner reaches of neighbouring Arviqtujuq Kangiqtua in the east.[8] The Sam Ford River discharges its waters at the head of the fjord further south[9] and Qikiqtakuluk is located within the inner section of the fjord off a small bay 15 km (9.3 mi) to the north northeast of the river's mouth.[8]

Sam Ford Fiord is known for its glaciers and its awe-inspiring stark granite cliffs, rising steeply from its shores to heights up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft) above sea level in the area near Swiss Bay. Among the most impressive summits by the fjord Beluga Mountain,[10] Rock Tower,[11] Walrus Head Mountain, Broad Peak, Ottawa Peak, Sikunga Mountain, Turnagain Peak, and the Paalik Peak deserve mention.[8]

A massive cliff on the eastern shore located at a bend in the fjord 49 km (30 mi) from its mouth at 70°37′51.82″N 70°55′0.33″W has a vertical wall dropping from a height of 1,368 m (4,488 ft) to the fjord's waters.[12]

See also

References
  1. "Kangiqtualuk Uqquqti". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
  2. "Kangiqtualuk Uqquqti (Formerly Sam Ford Fiord)". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
  3. "Water Features - Nunavut". The Atlas of Canada. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
  4. 4. Bericht von Bord: Die spektakulären Fjorde Kanadas (German)
  5. Greenland 2014: Baffin Island and Sam Ford Fjord for Favresse, Ditto and Villanueva
  6. Qikiqtani Truth Commission: Community Histories 1950–1975
  7. Sam Ford Fiord – Kangiqtualuk Uqquqti
  8. "Sam Ford Fiord". Mapcarta. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  9. NRC Sam Ford River
  10. "Beluga Mountain". Around Guides. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  11. North America, Canada, Canadian Arctic, Beluga Mountain and Rock Tower, Sam Ford Fiord, Baffin Island, 1987 - AAJ Climbs And Expeditions, Volume 31, Issue 63 (1989) p. 163
  12. GoogleEarth
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