The
geography of the
North Sea studies coastal and submarine features as well as the people who live on its coasts. It is bounded by the east coasts of
England and
Scotland to the west and the northern and central European mainland to the east and south, including
Norway,
Denmark,
Germany, the
Netherlands,
Belgium, and
France.[1] In the south-west, beyond the
Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the
English Channel. In the east, it connects to the
Baltic Sea via the
Skagerrak and
Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively. In the north, it opens in a widening funnel shape to the
Norwegian Sea, which lies in the very north-eastern part of the
Atlantic.
On the Southwest. A line joining the Walde Lighthouse (
France, 1°55'E) and Leathercoat Point (
England, 51°10'N).
On the Northwest. From
Dunnet Head (3°22'W) in
Scotland to Tor Ness (58°47'N) in the Island of
Hoy, thence through this island to the Kame of Hoy (58°55'N) on to Breck Ness on
Mainland (58°58'N) through this island to
Costa Head (3°14'W) and to Inga Ness (59'17'N) in
Westray through Westray, to Bow Head, across to Mull Head (North point of
Papa Westray) and on to Seal Skerry (North point of
North Ronaldsay) and thence to
Horse Island (South point of the
Shetland Islands).
On the North. From the North point (Fethaland Point) of the
Mainland of the Shetland Islands, across to Graveland Ness (60°39'N) in the Island of
Yell, through Yell to Gloup Ness (1°04'W) and across to Spoo Ness (60°45'N) in
Unst island, through Unst to
Herma Ness (60°51'N), on to the SW point of the Rumblings and to
Muckle Flugga (60°51′N0°53′W / 60.850°N 0.883°W / 60.850; -0.883) all these being included in the North Sea area; thence up the meridian of 0°53' West to the
parallel of 61°00' North and eastward along this parallel to the coast of
Norway, the whole of Viking Bank being thus included in the North Sea.
The
seabed is separated into three
bathymetric areas, the Norwegian Trench and the north and south North Sea separated by the Dogger Bank.[3]
For the most part, the sea lies on the European
continental shelf. The only exception is the
Norwegian trench, which reaches from the
Stad peninsula in
Sogn og Fjordane to the
Oslofjord. The trench is between 1 and 2 nautical miles (1.9 and 3.7 km; 1.2 and 2.3 mi) wide and hundreds of metres deep.[4] Off the
Rogaland coast, it is 250–300 m (820–980 ft) deep, and at its deepest point, off
Arendal, it reaches 700 m (2,300 ft) deep as compared to the average depth of the North Sea, about 100 m (330 ft).[5] The trench is not a
subduction-related
oceanic trench, where one tectonic plate is being forced under another. It is mainly a deep
erosional scour, while the western part follows the North-South line of an old
rift valley formed during the
Jurassic and
Cretaceous periods.
To the east of Great Britain, lies the
Dogger Bank, a vast
moraine, or accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris, which rises up to 15 to 30 m (49 to 98 ft) deep.[6]
The
Silver Pit is a hollow or valley-like depression that has been recognised since about 1843 by fishermen.[7][8] Nearby is the
Silverpit crater, a controversial structure initially proposed to be an
impact crater, though another interpretation is that it may result from the dissolution of a thick bed of
salt which permitted the upper strata to collapse.[9] The
Devil's Hole is a group of trenches 200 kilometres (120 mi) east of
Dundee,
Scotland which are up to 230 metres (750 ft) deep.[10]
"The
Long Forties" denotes a principal raised bank about 110 miles (180 km) in length that is between 35 and 40 fathoms (64 and 73 m) deep.[11][12] It is located parallel to the shore of Scotland between Kinnaird's Head and Aberdeen.[13] The
Broad Fourteens are a sand bar ridge between eleven and fourteen fathoms (20 m and 26 m) deep located off the Flemish and Danish coasts.[11][14]
^De Angelo, Laura; Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (August 22, 2008).
"North Sea, Europe – Encyclopedia of Earth". Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment. Retrieved 2008-11-02.
^Straw, Allan; Keith Martin Clayton (1979).
Eastern and Central England(Digitized 2007-11-30 by Google Books online). Bath, UK: Taylor & Francis. p. 110.
ISBN9780416846706. Retrieved 2009-01-10.
^"LIS No. 10 – North Sea 1974"(pdf). International Boundary Study Series A Limits in the Seas North Sea Continental Shelf Boundaries. The Geographer, Bureau of Intelligence and Research of the Department of State. June 14, 1974. Retrieved 2008-12-05. To expand the Geographic Tree and see the child Geographic names look in North Atlantic Ocean, North Sea.
^"Flamborough Head". Special Areas of Conservation (SAC). Retrieved 2008-11-28.