Walk on moonstone
Magma UNESCO Global Geopark offers world-class geology. This special region has an incredible past that stretches over a billion years back in time.
Magma UNESCO Global Geopark offers world-class geology. This special region has an incredible past that stretches over a billion years back in time.
The area that constitutes Magma Geopark was located about 20 km below the Earth's surface over 1 billion years ago, beneath mountain ranges the size of the Himalayas, called the Sveconorwegian mountain range. It formed during the creation of the supercontinent Rodinia as a result of collisions between continents, as shown below.
During the collision, enormous pressure and high temperatures occurred, which initially led to deformation of the subsoil and the formation of rocks such as gneiss. Eventually, other rocks began to melt. The magma (molten rock) moved upwards and collected in a large magma chamber. Eventually, the magma cooled down as the pressure and temperature settled, and it began to crystallise into new rocks, such as anorthosite. This is the same rock as the bright areas on the moon. You could therefore say that in Magma Geopark you can find out what it's like to walk on the moon!
One of the reasons why Magma Geopark is so unique is precisely this magma chamber. 10 million years after the anorthosite in the magma chamber was formed, new magma intruded from the depths into the anorthosite, resulting in what is seen today as layered intrusjoner.
Eventually, the region's crust was stretched as a result of the break-up of the supercontinent Rodinia, with smaller continents breaking away due to plate tectonics. This led to upwelling of magma in weak zones in the subsurface, which penetrated upwards through other existing rocks, such as the anorthosite. Today, this can be seen as basaltganger.
The massive mountain ranges that once covered the Magma Geopark were gradually worn down (eroded) over hundreds of millions of years by various natural processes, resulting in the magma chamber now being exposed on the surface. Glaciers have played a central role in this erosion process. The last ice age was about 10,000 years ago, and both the ice and its meltwater have characterised the landscape considerably. Today, the region bears clear traces of the ice age, such as skuringsstriper and potholes. This gives visitors a unique opportunity to explore this unique lunar landscape that is rich in exciting geological history.
After the Ice Age, the Stone Age brought people across the ice from Denmark, who settled at the edge of the ice front and lived by hunting. Later, in the Bronze Age, people began to settle more permanently, building homes and cultivating the land. In Magma Geopark, we find traces of human life from the Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Viking Age, Medieval times, modern history, and the World Wars. Clear evidence shows how these different periods and events have influenced the area in various ways. In Magma Geopark, you can come and hear fascinating stories about how human and geological processes have shaped and impacted the nature and landscape we see today.