Canhão da Nazaré

The submarine valley known as the Nazaré Canyon is the largest in Europe and one of the largest in the world. Cutting across the continental shelf in a roughly east-west direction, it extends for more than 170 km in length and reaches a depth of over 5,000 meters in the abyssal plain where this canyon flows into the sea. This spectacular geomorphological feature of tectonic origin, related to the Nazaré-Pombal fault, begins to take shape about 500 meters from the coast. This submarine gorge causes significant alterations to coastal sediment transport, as this valley is a veritable sink for sediments coming from the north, from the littoral drift, which explains the lack of large stretches of sand on the beaches south of Nazaré. The Nazaré Canyon generates an influx of nutrient-rich waters and plankton to the surface, allowing for a rich fauna with species of commercial interest.