Four Norwegian locations added to international geo-sites list by IUGS

The International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) has announced its list of the world’s most significant geo-sites. A geo-site is a specific area that represents a part of our geological heritage. Two years ago, Jutulhogget in Innlandet was included in this exclusive list. Now, four additional Norwegian locations have been recognized for their geological importance.

The newly selected sites are the fjord and glacier landscapes of Svalbard, larvikite in Eastern Norway, moraines in Western Norway, and a unique landscape in Trøndelag. Kamilla Pedersen, director of Trollfjell Geopark in Leka, expressed her excitement, stating, “This is very big.”

In Leka, the recognized location features a distinct ophiolite complex. Ophiolites are rocks that originally formed under the sea. Pedersen explained that these formations are the result of a continental collision that occurred hundreds of millions of years ago, causing the oceanic crust to be pushed onto land and subsequently tilted. “Here, you can traverse from the outer layer of the Earth’s crust to its interior in just a few hours,” she said. She emphasized the uniqueness of this complex, calling it potentially the best example of an ophiolite in the world.

Other notable Norwegian locations making the list include the fjords and glaciers of Hornsund and Van Mijenfjorden in Svalbard, larvikite in the Oslo Rift, and the Esmark moraine in Rogaland. Tom Heldal, a geologist with the Norwegian Geological Survey, noted that Norway’s diverse geology has substantial signs of ancient geological processes.

This marks the second time the IUGS has published such a list, expanding from an initial hundred geo-sites in 2022 to now include an additional hundred, alongside global landmarks like Mount Vesuvius, the Dead Sea, and Yosemite Valley in California.