locality

Austdalen

58°40’50.594”N 6°22’19.47”E

Austdalen

A challenging hike in Bjerkreim, 6 hours

How to get there

Follow FV 503 – Ørsdalen. Parking at Lone (near Bjordal), look for signs that describe the route. Tips: combine with two cars or leave a bike near Eik (sign to Støle on the way down the hill from the tunnel).

Accessibility: Challenging tour. Marked trails.

Duration: 6 hours

Special conditions:

  • Park at the parking place and show respect for private land.
  • Show respect to animals along the trail.
  • Don’t forget to close gates behind you so that animals would not get away.
  • Dogs have to be on leash.
  • Leave nothing but footprints!

Geology and nature

The bedrock in this area consists of gneisses that were formed more than 1000 million years ago when southern Norway was part of a mountain chain similar to the Himalayas today. These mountains have long since been eroded away. The gneisses are the roots of these ancient mountains.

About 10 000 years ago, an ice sheet covered most of Norway. The glaciers at its margin reached as far as eastern end of Austdalen valley. Moving ice acts like a conveyor belt, carrying loose material (rocks, gravel, sand and silt) towards the front of the glacier. At the glacier front, where the ice melts, this material is released to form an end moraine. The end moraine that formed at the front of this ice sheet is called the Ra moraine that can be followed right across southern Norway and into Sweden. The ra moraine formed when the ice front stayed in the same place for a long period of time. The Ra moraine here blocks the eastern end of lake Laugarvatnet. This is the best place to see the Ra moraine in Magma Geopark.

Pictures from Austdalen