Rokua National Park ( fi, Rokuan kansallispuisto) is a
UNESCO Global Geopark
UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGGp) are geoparks certified by the UNESCO Global Geoparks Council as meeting all the requirements for belonging to the Global Geoparks Network (GGN). The GGN is both a network of geoparks and the agency of the United Nati ...
in the
Northern Ostrobothnia
North Ostrobothnia ( fi, Pohjois-Pohjanmaa; sv, Norra Österbotten) is a region of Finland. It borders the Finnish regions of Lapland, Kainuu, North Savo, Central Finland and Central Ostrobothnia, as well as the Russian Republic of Karelia. T ...
region of
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
.
Location
The national park is located on the southern side of the
Rokuanvaara Hill, where old
pine
A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...
forests grow in their natural state. The park lies within the municipalities of
Vaala
Vaala is a municipality in Finland. It is located in the North Ostrobothnia region. Established in 1954 (predecessor municipality ''Säräisniemi'', established in 1867), the municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which ...
,
Muhos
Muhos is a municipality of Finland.
It is located in the province of Oulu half an hour's drive (35 km) on route 22 from the city of Oulu, the capital of Northern Finland, and is part of the Northern Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a ...
and
Utajärvi
Utajärvi is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the Northern Ostrobothnia region next to the border of the Kainuu region, and is part of the former province of Oulu. It is from Utajärvi to Oulu and to Kajaani. The municipality has a pop ...
and in between the cities of
Oulu
Oulu ( , ; sv, Uleåborg ) is a city, municipality and a seaside resort of about 210,000 inhabitants in the region of North Ostrobothnia, Finland. It is the most populous city in northern Finland and the fifth most populous in the country after: ...
and
Kajaani
Kajaani (; sv, Kajana) is the most populous town and the capital of the Kainuu Region of Finland. It is located southeast of Lake Oulu (Oulujärvi), which drains into the Gulf of Bothnia through the Oulu River (Oulujoki). As of , it had a pop ...
.
Geology
The
bedrock
In geology, bedrock is solid Rock (geology), rock that lies under loose material (regolith) within the crust (geology), crust of Earth or another terrestrial planet.
Definition
Bedrock is the solid rock that underlies looser surface mater ...
of the
Baltic Shield
The Baltic Shield (or Fennoscandian Shield) is a segment of the Earth's crust belonging to the East European Craton, representing a large part of Fennoscandia, northwestern Russia and the northern Baltic Sea. It is composed mostly of Archean and ...
as well as
Quaternary landforms are displayed within the park. Amongst the glacial landforms found in the park are:
*
Drumlin
A drumlin, from the Irish word ''droimnín'' ("littlest ridge"), first recorded in 1833, in the classical sense is an elongated hill in the shape of an inverted spoon or half-buried egg formed by glacial ice acting on underlying unconsolidated ...
s
*
Esker
An esker, eskar, eschar, or os, sometimes called an ''asar'', ''osar'', or ''serpent kame'', is a long, winding ridge of stratified sand and gravel, examples of which occur in glaciated and formerly glaciated regions of Europe and North Amer ...
s
*
Hummocky moraine
In geology, a hummock is a small knoll or mound above ground.Bates, Robert L. and Julia A. Jackson, ed. (1984). “hummock.” Dictionary of Geological Terms, 3rd Ed. New York: Anchor Books. p. 241. They are typically less than in height and ...
s
*
Kettle hole
A kettle (also known as a kettle lake, kettle hole, or pothole) is a depression/hole in an outwash plain formed by retreating glaciers or draining floodwaters. The kettles are formed as a result of blocks of dead ice left behind by retreating gla ...
s
*
Terminal moraine
A terminal moraine, also called end moraine, is a type of moraine that forms at the terminal (edge) of a glacier, marking its maximum advance. At this point, debris that has accumulated by plucking and abrasion, has been pushed by the front edge ...
s
Post-glacial development has left
berm
A berm is a level space, shelf, or raised barrier (usually made of compacted soil) separating areas in a vertical way, especially partway up a long slope. It can serve as a terrace road, track, path, a fortification line, a border/ separation ...
s,
ravine
A ravine is a landform that is narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streambank erosion.[dune
A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, f ...](_blank)
s and
peat bog
A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muskeg; a ...
s in the park area.
[
]
Syvyydenkaivo
Syvyydenkaivo, "the Well of the Depths", is the deepest kettle hole in Finland, with a measured depth of more than 164 feet (50 m).
See also
* List of national parks of Finland
There are 41 national parks in Finland. They are all managed by the Metsähallitus. The national parks cover a total area of – 2.7% of Finland's total land area.
A total of 3.2 million people visited the parks in 2018. During the Covid-19 pan ...
* Protected areas of Finland
The protected areas of Finland include national parks, nature reserves and other areas, with a purpose of conserving areas of all of Finland's ecosystems and biotopes.
Protected areas include:
* National parks of Finland (''Kansallispuisto/Nation ...
* Rokua Geopark
The Rokua region, also known as the Rokuanvaara region is a region known for its moraine and dunes. The region covers parts of the municipalities of Muhos, Utajärvi and Vaala in the province of Oulu in Finland.
The Rokuanvaara formation was form ...
* Rokua
The Rokua region, also known as the Rokuanvaara region is a region known for its moraine and dunes. The region covers parts of the Municipalities of Finland, municipalities of Muhos, Utajärvi and Vaala in the province of Oulu in Finland.
The Rok ...
References
External links
*
Rokua National Park
Rokua Geopark
National parks of Finland
Protected areas established in 1956
Geography of North Ostrobothnia
Geography of Kainuu
Geoparks in Finland
Global Geoparks Network members
Protected areas established in 2010
Tourist attractions in North Ostrobothnia
Tourist attractions in Kainuu
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