Ria

A river valley submerged by rising sea-levels to form an inlet or estuary. Rias are post-glacial landforms and typically have ‘v’ shaped profiles rather than the flat-bottoms of glacial modified fjords.

The Kingsbridge estuary in Devon is a good example of a ria in the UK.

Etymology

Spanish ria ‘mouth of a river’, ‘estuary’

Example locations

• Kingsbridge estuary
  Devon

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Entry contributors:

Jerry Cuthbert