Inner Sound, Scotland
The Inner Sound (Scottish Gaelic: An Lighe Rathairseach) is a strait separating the Inner Hebridean islands of Skye, Raasay and South Rona from the Applecross peninsula on the Scottish mainland.
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The Inner Sound includes the deepest section of the UK's territorial waters, with a maximum depth of 1,062 feet (324 metres).[1] An area, over 1 1⁄2 mi (2.4 km) long and up to 1⁄4 mi (400 m) wide, exists below a depth of 960 ft (290 m), with a relatively flat bottom. There is another cleft 828 ft (252 m) deep, separated from the deeper bowl by an area of shallower water.[1] A dive to examine the deeper trench found the bottom to be made up of bioturbated mud, with a steep slope towards the west of up to 60°.[2]
The Inner Sound is the location of BUTEC, a Royal Navy submarine sensor and emissions range.
References
- Robinson, A. H. W. (1949). "Deep clefts in the inner sound of Raasay". Scottish Geographical Magazine. 65: 20–25. doi:10.1080/00369224908735399.
- Geyer, R.A. (2011). Submersibles and Their Use in Oceanography and Ocean Engineering. Elsevier. p. 263. ISBN 9780080870533.