Adolphus Channel

Adolphus Channel
Adolphus Channel
	Adolphus Channel
	A map of the Torres Strait Islands, with the Adolphus Channel located south of Mount Adolphus Island in the Torres Strait
Location	Northern Australia
Coordinates	10°41′20″S 142°36′51″E / 10.688958°S 142.614167°E
Type	Channel
Part of	Torres Strait
Ocean/sea sources	Coral Sea,; South Pacific Ocean
Basin countries	Australia
Managing agency	Torres Strait Island Region
Islands	Albany Island; Bush Island; Eborac Island; Ida Island; Middle Brother Island;

The Adolphus Channel is a channel located in the Torres Strait, situated northeast of Cape York, in Queensland, Australia.

Geography[edit]

The channel runs north of the Albany Island, one of the islands of the Manar group of the Torres Strait Islands archipelago, and to the south of Mount Adolphus Island.^[1]^[2]

It is about 7 km (4.3 mi) across at its narrowest point, mostly less than about 20 m (66 ft) in depth and opens towards the west (into the Torres Strait) and towards the east (into the Great Barrier Reef lagoon). Submarine dunes (sand waves) up to 5 m (16 ft)tall migrate along the Adolphus Channel seabed, posing a potential risk to safe navigation.^[3]

Much of the area has dual naming with traditional names from the Torres Strait Islander people.^[2]

Shipping use[edit]

Adolphus Channel is a major shipping route for traffic passing from the eastern (Coral Sea) coast of Australia to the Gulf of Carpentaria, Arafura Sea and regions further west.^[3]

History[edit]

On the night of 28 February 1890, the Royal Mail Ship RMS Quetta struck a rock and sank in Adolphus Channel, sending 134 of her passengers to their deaths.^[4]

Islands[edit]

Adjacent to the channel are a group of islands, part of the Torres Strait Islands archipelago, comprising:

Albany Island
Bush Islet
Eborac Island^[5]
Ida Island
Mai Islet
Middle Brother Islet
Tree Island

Ida Island is north and adjacent to Muddy Bay, while the remaining islets are adjacent to Pioneer Bay on the north east coast of Albany Island.^[2]

References[edit]

^ Harris, P. T.; Schneider, P. M.; Baker, E. K. (1988). Currents, sedimentation and sandwave migration in the Great North East Channel and Adolphus Channel areas of Torres Strait: report on measurements taken during HMAS Cook cruises. Sydney, NSW: The University of Sydney. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
^ ^a ^b ^c Taranto; Jacobs; Long. "Map 4: Adolphus channel" (PDF) (Map). Torres Strait Atlas – Report MR-GIS 97/6. CSIRO Marine research. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2010. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
^ ^a ^b Harris, P.T., 1989. Sandwave movement under tidal and wind-driven currents in a shallow marine environment: Adolphus Channel, northeastern Australia. Continental Shelf Research 9, 981-1002
^ "The tragic tale of the Quetta". Torres News. Queensland, Australia. 30 July 2012. p. 10. Archived from the original on 9 February 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
^ "Eborac Island gecko". The Australian Reptile Online Database. Stewart Macdonald. Archived from the original on 24 March 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2015.