September 29th, 2009 Category: Image of the day, Rivers

Russia - July 28th, 2009

Bays by Kanin Peninsula

Several rivermouths and bays mark the shoreline of this area of northwestern Russia.

The land features visible include the edge of the Kola Peninsula (lower left corner), part of the Murmansk Oblast, the Kanin Peninsula (east of the former) in Nenets Autonomous Okrug, and the hooked southern tip of Mezhdusharskiy Island (top center) of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago.

Between the Kola and Kanin Peninsulas, the Mezen River empties tan sediments into Mezen Bay, with an area of 6,630 km², part of the White Sea (see close-up for more detailed view).

On the eastern side of the Kanin Peninsula, some sediments also frame the coast of Chesha Bay (Chiosha Bay), an inlet of the Barents Sea. The bay is 84 miles (135 km) wide and 62 miles (100 km) long (see close-up).

Continuing eastward along the coast, the Pechora River spills darker brown sediments into the Pechora Sea. This 1,809 km long river runs from the Ural Mountains to Nosovaya at the shores of the sea.

Tags: Barents Sea Chesha Bay Chiosha Bay Kanin Peninsula Kola Peninsula Mezen Bay Mezen River Mezhdusharskiy Island Murmansk Oblast Nenets Autonomous Okrug Nosovaya Novaya Zemlya Archipelago Pechora River Pechora Sea Russia Sediments White Sea | Comments |