Nordaustlandet (sometimes translated as North East Land) is the second-largest
island
An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
in the archipelago of
Svalbard
Svalbard ( , ), also known as Spitsbergen, or Spitzbergen, is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. North of mainland Europe, it is about midway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole. The islands of the group range ...
, Norway, with an area of . It lies north east of
Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen (; formerly known as West Spitsbergen; Norwegian: ''Vest Spitsbergen'' or ''Vestspitsbergen'' , also sometimes spelled Spitzbergen) is the largest and the only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in northern Norw ...
, separated by
Hinlopen Strait
The Hinlopen Strait ( no, Hinlopenstretet) is the strait between Spitsbergen and Nordaustlandet in Svalbard, Norway. It is long and wide. The strait is difficult to pass because of pack ice. It is believed to have been named after Thijmen J ...
. Much of Nordaustlandet lies under large
ice cap
In glaciology, an ice cap is a mass of ice that covers less than of land area (usually covering a highland area). Larger ice masses covering more than are termed ice sheets.
Description
Ice caps are not constrained by topographical features ...
s, mainly
Austfonna
Austfonna is an ice cap located on Nordaustlandet in the Svalbard archipelago in Norway. Covering an area of 7,800 km2, it is Europe's third-largest glacier by area and volume, after the Severny Island ice cap of Novaya Zemlya, Russia, and Va ...
and
Vestfonna
Vestfonna is an ice cap located on the western part Nordaustlandet in the Svalbard archipelago in Norway. The glacier covers an area of about 2,500 km2. It is the third largest ice cap in Svalbard and Norway by area, after Austfonna and Olav V Land ...
, the remaining parts of the north being
tundra
In physical geography, tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. The term ''tundra'' comes through Russian (') from the Kildin Sámi word (') meaning "uplands", "treeless moun ...
inhabited by
reindeer
Reindeer (in North American English, known as caribou if wild and ''reindeer'' if domesticated) are deer in the genus ''Rangifer''. For the last few decades, reindeer were assigned to one species, ''Rangifer tarandus'', with about 10 subspe ...
and
walrus
The walrus (''Odobenus rosmarus'') is a large pinniped, flippered marine mammal with a discontinuous distribution about the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean and subarctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. The walrus is the only living species in ...
es. The island is uninhabited and lies entirely within
Nordaust-Svalbard Nature Reserve
Nordaust-Svalbard Nature Reserve ( no, Nordaust-Svalbard naturreservat) is located in the north-eastern part of the Svalbard archipelago in Norway. The nature reserve covers all of Nordaustlandet, Kong Karls Land, Kvitøya, Sjuøyane, Storøya, ...
.
History
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
walrus hunters first sighted the south point of Nordaustlandet in 1617. This discovery was shown on the ''Muscovy Company's map'' (1625; but based on discoveries made in and prior to 1622), with the island labeled as ''Sir Thomas Smyth's Iland''. It also shows the North Cape (''Point Purchas''). It is first named ''Oostlandt'' ("East Land") on a
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
1662
map
A map is a symbolic depiction emphasizing relationships between elements of some space, such as objects, regions, or themes.
Many maps are static, fixed to paper or some other durable medium, while others are dynamic or interactive. Although ...
, and the following year another Dutch map marked its coastline more distinctly, showing its west and north coasts, separating the latter from the Seven Islands (
Sjuøyane
Sjuøyane (English: ''Seven Islands'') is the northernmost part of the Svalbard archipelago north of mainland Norway, and some 20 km north of the eastern major island Nordaustlandet. The islands are the northernmost landmass reachable by normal ...
). A Dutch map of 1710 was the first to show the island accurately, naming it ''Het Noord Ooster Land'' ("The North-east Land").
During the
German occupation of Norway
The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until the ...
in World War II, eleven German soldiers were sent to Nordaustlandet in August 1944 to report on the weather. They later learned about the Nazi unconditional surrender via radio and called for transport home, but did not receive any response until months later when Norway sent a whaling ship to rescue them.
Geology and landscape
The rock types in Nordaustlandet stem from many different geological eras. The northern part consists of old crystalline basement, with rocks such as
marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite. Marble is typically not Foliation (geology), foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the ...
,
quartzite
Quartzite is a hard, non- foliated metamorphic rock which was originally pure quartz sandstone.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak, p 182 Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tect ...
, mica schist,
gneiss
Gneiss ( ) is a common and widely distributed type of metamorphic rock. It is formed by high-temperature and high-pressure metamorphic processes acting on formations composed of igneous or sedimentary rocks. Gneiss forms at higher temperatures an ...
and
granite
Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...
. East of
Lady Franklinfjorden
Lady Franklinfjorden is a fjord in Gustav V Land at Nordaustlandet, Svalbard. The fjord has a length of about 25 kilometers. Lady Franklinfjorden is named after Jane Franklin, the wife of Arctic explorer John Franklin
Sir John Franklin (16 ...
, on the peninsula
Botniahalvøya
Botniahalvøya is a peninsula of Nordaustlandet
Nordaustlandet (sometimes translated as North East Land) is the second-largest island in the archipelago of Svalbard, Norway, with an area of . It lies north east of Spitsbergen, separated by Hinl ...
and east of
Duvefjorden
Duvefjorden is a fjord at the northern side of Nordaustlandet
Nordaustlandet (sometimes translated as North East Land) is the second-largest island in the archipelago of Svalbard, Norway, with an area of . It lies north east of Spitsbergen, s ...
there are volcanic rocks. In the east and south of
Rijpfjorden
Rijpfjorden is a fjord at the northern side of Nordaustlandet, Svalbard. The fjord has a length of about and a width of about . Former names of the fjord include ''Rypefjorden'', ''Red Currant Bay'' and ''Ripsbai''. The fjord is named after Dutch ...
the bedrock is made up of distinctive red-coloured granite. The Rijpfjord granite is medium grained, and contains two micas (
muscovite
Muscovite (also known as common mica, isinglass, or potash mica) is a hydrated phyllosilicate mineral of aluminium and potassium with formula K Al2(Al Si3 O10)( F,O H)2, or ( KF)2( Al2O3)3( SiO2)6( H2O). It has a highly perfect basal cleavage ...
and
biotite
Biotite is a common group of phyllosilicate minerals within the mica group, with the approximate chemical formula . It is primarily a solid-solution series between the iron-endmember annite, and the magnesium-endmember phlogopite; more alumino ...
) in addition to
quartz
Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical form ...
,
plagioclase
Plagioclase is a series of tectosilicate (framework silicate) minerals within the feldspar group. Rather than referring to a particular mineral with a specific chemical composition, plagioclase is a continuous solid solution series, more prope ...
and pink
K-feldspar
Orthoclase, or orthoclase feldspar (endmember formula K Al Si3 O8), is an important tectosilicate mineral which forms igneous rock. The name is from the Ancient Greek for "straight fracture," because its two cleavage planes are at right angles t ...
. It was emplaced in late Silurian times.
![Nordaustlandet (js) 5](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Nordaustlandet_%28js%29_5.jpg)
Layered
gabbro
Gabbro () is a phaneritic (coarse-grained), mafic intrusive igneous rock formed from the slow cooling of magnesium-rich and iron-rich magma into a holocrystalline mass deep beneath the Earth's surface. Slow-cooling, coarse-grained gabbro is che ...
and
dolerite
Diabase (), also called dolerite () or microgabbro,
is a mafic, holocrystalline, subvolcanic rock equivalent to volcanic basalt or plutonic gabbro. Diabase dikes and sills are typically shallow intrusive bodies and often exhibit fine-grained ...
of Silurian age occur at
Kapp Laura
Kapp Laura is a headland at the eastern side of Nordaustlandet, Svalbard. The headland is named after Laura Albertini, mother of Italian expedition leader Giovanni Albertini. The island of Storøya is located about five nautical miles to the east ...
in easternmost Nordaustlandet, on the island of
Storøya, and in the eastern part of the island of
Kvitøya
Kvitøya (English: "White Island") is an island in the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, with an area of . It is the easternmost part of the Kingdom of Norway. The closest Russian Arctic possession, Victoria Island, lies only to the e ...
. On
Andréeneset
Andréeneset is headland at the southwestern point of the island of Kvitøya in the Svalbard archipelago. It is named after engineer and Arctic explorer Salomon August Andrée
Salomon August Andrée (18 October 1854, in Gränna, SmÃ¥land â ...
, in the southern part of Kvitøya, gneisses and granites are the most common rock types. Four generations of rocks: gneiss,
amphibolite
Amphibolite () is a metamorphic rock that contains amphibole, especially hornblende and actinolite, as well as plagioclase feldspar, but with little or no quartz. It is typically dark-colored and dense, with a weakly foliated or schistose (flaky ...
, and grey and pink granite are present on
Isispynten, a headland east of Austfonna. South of
Wahlenbergfjorden
Wahlenbergfjorden, sometimes known in English as Waalenburg Bay, is a fjord on the southwest coast of the Arctic island of Nordaustlandet, in Norway's Svalbard archipelago. At in length, and wide, it is the fifth longest fjord in the archipelag ...
there is a large area with
sedimentary rock
Sedimentary rocks are types of rock that are formed by the accumulation or deposition of mineral or organic particles at Earth's surface, followed by cementation. Sedimentation is the collective name for processes that cause these particles ...
s – mostly
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
and
dolomite Dolomite may refer to:
*Dolomite (mineral), a carbonate mineral
*Dolomite (rock), also known as dolostone, a sedimentary carbonate rock
*Dolomite, Alabama, United States, an unincorporated community
*Dolomite, California, United States, an unincor ...
– from the Carboniferous and Permian. The youngest rocks in Nordaustlandet are Jurassic–Cretaceous dolerite dikes, which intrude the basement rocks on the island of
Lågøya
Lågøya ( en, Low Island) is an island in Svalbard, Norway. It is situated north west of Nordaustlandet. The area is 103.5 km2. The island has rarely been visited.
Lågøya was first marked on the Muscovy Company's map (1625) as ''Purcha ...
and in the outlet of
Brennevinsfjorden
Brennevinsfjorden is a fjord in Gustav V Land at Nordaustlandet, Svalbard. The fjord has a length of about eleven nautical miles, and runs in between Depotodden and Kapp Hansteen.
References
Fjords of Svalbard
Nordaustlandet
{{Nordaus ...
.
Unconsolidated deposits in Nordaustlandet consist of scree slopes, block fields and raised shore deposits. There are only small amounts of river deposits. The largest
strandflats on Nordaustlandet can be found in the north-west, around
Murchisonfjorden Murchisonfjorden is a fjord in Gustav V Land at Nordaustlandet, Svalbard. The fjord cuts eastwards from Hinlopen Strait into Nordaustlandet. It has steep coasts and numerous islands. Murchisonfjorden is named after British geologist Roderick Murchis ...
and on the island of Lågøya. Another large strandflat is
Svartknausflya
Svartknausflya is a coastal plain in Gustav Adolf Land in Nordaustlandet, Svalbard. The length of the plain is about 21 kilometers. West of the plain is Rosenthalbreen, and to the east is Vibebukta and Bråsvellbreen Bråsvellbreen ( en, The Sudd ...
in the south, just west of the glacier of Bråsvellbreen. Here, there are raised shore deposits up to 120
m.a.s.l.
Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''.
The com ...
, where ancient whale bones have been found above
today's sea level. Svartknausflya is also the largest moraine area in Nordaustlandet; it measures about .
Glacial activity has shaped the landscape in Nordaustlandet through several ice ages. Gentle plateaus and rounded mountains are the most common sight. The tallest and steepest mountains, up to 600 m.a.s.l., can be found in the north. The eastern part of Nordaustlandet is covered in glaciers, and there are few areas without ice. Between
Vibebukta and Kapp Laura, the steep front of the Austfonna ice cap dominates. The glacier has retracted a bit during recent decades, revealing new areas of dry land on the few headlands that can be found around here (such as Isispynten). Austfonna, including
Vegafonna
Vegafonna is an ice cap in Gustav Adolf Land on Nordaustlandet
Nordaustlandet (sometimes translated as North East Land) is the second-largest island in the archipelago of Svalbard, Norway, with an area of . It lies north east of Spitsbergen, se ...
, stretch across an area of . Austfonna covers approximately 58% of Nordaustlandet. Vestfonna is . The largest areas with no ice are between Austfonna and Vestfonna and on the peninsulas in the north and north-west of Nordaustlandet.
The glacier
Bråsvellbreen Bråsvellbreen ( en, The Sudden Swell Glacier) is a glacier in Nordaustlandet, Svalbard. The glacier is a 45 kilometre long stream southwards from the ice dome Sørdomen of Austfonna, debouching into the sea on the south coast. In the late 1930s it ...
is a branch of Vestfonna. In 1937-1938 it had one of the largest surges ever recorded in Svalbard. The glacier front moved forward and into the ocean.
See also
*
List of islands of Norway
This is a list of islands of Norway sorted by name. For a list sorted by area, see List of islands of Norway by area.
A
* Alden
* Aldra
* Algrøy
* Alsta
* Altra
* Anda
* Andabeløya
* Andørja
* Andøya, Vesterålen
* Andøya, Agder
* Ar ...
References
* Conway, W. M. 1906. ''No Man’s Land: A History of Spitsbergen from Its Discovery in 1596 to the Beginning of the Scientific Exploration of the Country''. Cambridge: At the University Press.
* Norwegian Polar Institute website, see external links
External links
Western Nordauslandeton Svalbard Images. (URL accessed 24 July 2006)
Eastern Nordauslandeton Svalbard Images. (URL accessed 24 July 2006)
Map of Nordaustlandet
{{Svalbard topics
Islands of Svalbard
Uninhabited islands of Norway