| Moraleda Channel | |
|---|---|
 Canal Moraleda withCerro Macá in the distance. | |
  Moraleda Channel | |
| Location | Southern America |
| Coordinates | 44°24′53″S73°25′14″W / 44.4147222°S 73.4205556°W /-44.4147222; -73.4205556 |
| Basin countries | Chile |
| Average depth | −50 m (−160 ft) |
Moraleda Channel (Spanish:Canal Moraleda) is a body of water separating theChonos Archipelago from the mainland ofChile. It is located at44°24′53″S73°25′14″W / 44.4147222°S 73.4205556°W /-44.4147222; -73.4205556, leading toGulf of Corcovado. Southward from the mouth of theAisén Fjord, Moraleda Channel divides into two arms. The east arm, calledCanal Costa (Costa Channel), is the main one. Farther south the name changes toEstero Elefantes (Elefantes Estuary), which terminates in the gulf of the same name. The channel runs along theLiquiñe-Ofqui Fault.
The channel is named afterJosé de Moraleda y Montero, a Spanish navy officer who explored the area in the 1780s.[1]
The deepest part of the channel are situated in west ofMagdalena Island.[2]
In 1985 the discovery ofmerluzafishing grounds in Moraleda Channel sparkled a fishing boom (boom merluzero) that led to the spontaneous growth of two new settlements;Puerto Gaviota andPuerto Gala.[3]
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