1891 Perron map TONGUE OF THE OCEAN, BAHAMAS (#181)

Description

Perron17_181
1891 Perron map TONGUE OF THE OCEAN, BAHAMAS (#181)
Nice small map titled
Langue de l'océan
,
from wood engraving with fine detail and clear impression, nice hand coloring. Overall size approx. 21.5 x 16.5 cm, image size approx. 13 x 10.5 cm. From
La Nouvelle Géographie universelle, la terre et les hommes
, 19 vol. (1875-94), great work of Elisee Reclus. Cartographer is Charles Perron.
Tongue of the Ocean
The Tongue of the Ocean (TOTO) is the name of a region of much  deeper water in the Bahamas separating the islands of Andros and New Providence.
The TOTO is a U-shaped, relatively flat-bottomed trench measuring approximately  30 by 240 kilometres (20 by 150 mi). Its depth varies gradually from 1,100 m  (3,600 ft) in the south to 2,000 m (6,600 ft) in the north.
Its only exposure to the open ocean is at the northern end. Except for the  northern ocean opening, the TOTO is surrounded by numerous islands, reefs, and  shoals which make a peripheral shelter isolating it from ocean disturbances,  particularly high ambient noise.
This channel and the Providence Channels are the two main branches of the Great  Bahama Canyon, a submerged geological feature formed by erosion during periods  of lower sea level. During their early history the Tongue of the Ocean and the  Providence Channel were broad, relatively shallow basins flanked by growing  carbonate banks. As the Blake-Bahama platform subsided, sedimentation kept pace  with subsidence on the banks, but not in the basins.