The world is filled with many natural wonders like the cavernous North American Grand Canyon in Arizona, the Angel Falls hidden deep within the lush forest of Venezuela, and the majestic Norwegian Fjords, which most will remember from the blockbuster hit, Lord of The Rings. Although the backdrop for the movie was a constant meld of enhanced graphics and real natural beauty, it displayed one of Mother Nature's most natural designs called a Fjord.

What is a Fjord?

Throughout the ages our planet has been slowly molded like a clay model in the hands of an artist, but instead of fingers manipulating the surface it has been a much more natural process. A Fjord is just one of many such examples of Mother Natures so-called works, but to be honest the birth of these deep valley-like gorges is nothing more than science.

Long before our time during the possible era of the dinosaurs a great time left the planet in a frozen state of ice and snow. As the ice slowly melted large glaciers gashed the surface of the earth carving the superlative Fjords we know of today.

Basically a Fjord could be defined as a large U-shaped valley that is typically much deeper than the adjacent land surrounding it. Most Fjords appear as a fast running river that meanders through a maze of bedrock and tree laden cliff sides. The Fjord is the direct result of what happens as a glacier slowly passes over land, which the massive weight tears apart the surface underneath as it continues its natural movement. The abrasion from the sediment and hardened ice of a monolithic glacier acts much like grinder, although the other distinct part of a Fjord is also due to land shifting. Since most glaciers can become truly massive in both size and weight the pressure they can apply to the earth's crust can easily stress the tension and elasticity of the surface. After the weight has moved on the land or crust beneath can drastically shift as though it is rebounding from the release of previous pressure.

Fjords are characterized by the rise at the massive opening also known as the mouth, which are the result of the terminal moraine (snout or nose) of a glacier. The impact of the steep opening can directly impact the strength of the current as water moves downstream. Frequently most Fjords carry some of the fastest running rapids due to the unique characteristics of the formation.

Where can I find a Fjord?

Although Europe takes ownership of a majority of the worlds fjords, there are

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