Folgefonna is a collective term for three plateau

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...

s in the Hardanger region of

Vestland Vestland is a county in Norway established on 1 January 2020. The county is located in Western Norway and it is centred around the city of Bergen, Norway's second largest city. The administrative centre of the county is the city of Bergen, where t ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. They are located on the Folgefonna peninsula in the municipalities of Ullensvang, Kvinnherad, and Etne. The three glaciers are: * Nordre (northern) Folgefonna, with an area of * Midtre (central) Folgefonna, with an area of * Søndre (southern) Folgefonna, with an area of , making it the third largest glacier in the mainland of Norway. In total, Folgefonna covers about (measured in 2006). On 14 May 2005, Folgefonna National Park was established, protecting the glaciers and the surrounding areas. The glacier is home to a summer skiing resort, located on its northern region. The largest outflow glaciers from Folgefonna are Blomstølskardbreen, Bondhusbreen, and

Buarbreen Buarbreen or Buerbreen is a glacier in Ullensvang Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is an offshoot of the large Folgefonna glacier. The small glacial arm reaches down into the Buardalen valley, just southwest of the town of Odda. The ...

. Since around 1960, Blomstølskardbreen on the southern end of Folgefonna has changed very little. Bondhusbreen and Buerbreen further north were growing in the 1990s, but have been retreating since the year 2000. The glacier is a famous tourist attraction. Most people who visit the town of

Odda Odda () is a former municipality in the old Hordaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1913 until its dissolution in 2020 when it was merged into Ullensvang Municipality in Vestland county. It was located in southeastern Hordaland c ...

usually take the walk to

(a part of Folgafonna). The melt-water from this glacier is bottled at source to form the product

Isklar Isklar (ice clear in Norwegian) is a brand of still and sparkling natural mineral water from the Folgefonna Glacier of Norway. It was first launched in the United Kingdom in early 2008 but has since been discontinued. The company was backed by ...

. The melt-water also goes down the river from

down into the lake

Sandvinvatnet Sandvinvatnet is a lake in Ullensvang Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The lake lies on the southern edge of the town of Odda. The Buardalen valley and Buarbreen glacier lie to the west of the lake. The Norwegian National Road 13 runs ...

. File:Bondhusglacier.jpg, Bondhusbreen - an offshoot of Folgefonna File:Looking down from Folgefonna Glacier.jpg, Looking down from the glacier File:Folgefonna south.JPG, Aerial view of the glaciers File:Hardanger Folgefonna-Gletscher 10.JPG, A closer view of the glacier

Name

The first element is ''folge'' meaning 'thin layer of snow' and the last element is the finite form of ''fonn'' meaning 'mass of snow, glacier made of snow'.

References

Glaciers of Vestland Ullensvang Etne Kvinnherad {{Vestland-geo-stub

Name

See also

References