Chatham Strait

The east side of Baranoff Island shows the forces of time, gravity, precipitation, as well as geologic forces. The land was created long ago in the middle of a much smaller Pacific Ocean than today. It was then moved to Alaska and smeared onto the continent in an immense, but slow collision. The small streams that existed on the new land were then overrun by larger rivers, which were in turn replaced by large volumes of ice. These glaciers plowed through southeast Alaska to form the fjords that exist today. Once the ice retreated, it left behind these waterways that ships, like the Sea Bird, use to navigate through this picturesque country. The ice also had another affect, it created the cones, knife edges, bowls, and points that make up the tops of the cliffs that we see as we travel along the islands. Another effect of the change to the land was the circulation of water around this archipelago which creates blooms of plantonic life that are eaten by other creatures, which in turn are eaten by even larger ones. This food chain ultimately leads to the leviathans: whales, the largest animals on earth. We had wonderful views of humpback whales and other marine mammals such as harbor seals, Steller sea lions, and sea otters. All the life here does well due to the topography which was created by the forces from so long ago.