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Cumberland Sound

Article by Douglas Finlayson

Published Online February 6, 2006

Last Edited December 16, 2013

Cumberland Sound is a major inlet, 300 km long, with an average width of 65 km, in the east coast of BAFFIN ISLAND. Its steep sides rise over 2125 m to glacier-covered uplands.

Cumberland Sound

Cumberland Sound is a major inlet, 300 km long, with an average width of 65 km, in the east coast of BAFFIN ISLAND. Its steep sides rise over 2125 m to glacier-covered uplands. Past continental glaciation, followed by modification of the upland margins by local alpine glaciation, has created a shoreline deeply indented with FJORDS. Outwash deposits at the head of fjords during deglaciation have been elevated as raised deltas and are markedly terraced. The head of the sound is backed by a hilly lowland with valleys leading to interior plains. The structural alignment and parallel sides of Cumberland Sound suggest it originated through large-scale faulting.

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