Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Barrow Canyon
submarine canyon, Arctic Ocean
Barrow Canyon, submarine canyon incised into the Arctic continental shelf off Alaska. From its head in the Chukchi Sea, about 95 miles (150 km) west of Point Barrow, in water depths of about 150 feet (45 metres), the canyon trends northeast along the coast and crosses into the Beaufort Sea, north of Point Barrow. The canyon has a U-shaped cross section with a width of about 3.5 to 6 miles (6 to 10 km) and depths of 165 to 330 feet (50 to 100 metres) on the Chukchi Shelf. It is poorly mapped in the Beaufort Shelf but is known to extend to the shelf edge. Barrow Canyon was used as a submarine entrance to the Arctic Basin during the historic trans-polar underwater crossing of the U.S. Navy submarine USS Nautilus in August 1958.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Lorraine Murray.
Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.
By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica
Privacy Policy
and
Terms of Use.