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| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Arctic Ocean |
| Coordinates | 79°48′N22°24′E / 79.800°N 22.400°E /79.800; 22.400 |
| Archipelago | Svalbard |
| Area | 14,443 km2 (5,576 sq mi) 11,009 km2 (4,251 sq mi) glaciated |
| Area rank | 58th |
| Coastline | 1,688 km (1048.9 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 764 m (2507 ft) |
| Highest point | Snøtoppen |
| Administration | |
Norway | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0 |
Nordaustlandet (Anglicised asNorth East Land) is the second-largestisland in the archipelago ofSvalbard, Norway, with an area of 14,443 square kilometres (5,576 sq mi). It lies north east ofSpitsbergen, separated byHinlopen Strait. Much of Nordaustlandet lies under largeice caps, mainlyAustfonna andVestfonna, the remaining parts of the north beingtundra inhabited byreindeer andwalruses. The island is uninhabited and lies entirely withinNordaust-Svalbard Nature Reserve.
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English walrus hunters first sighted the south point of Nordaustlandet in 1617. This discovery was shown on theMuscovy Company's map (1625; but based on discoveries made in and prior to 1622), with the island labeled asSir Thomas Smyth's Iland. It also shows the North Cape (Point Purchas). It is first namedOostlandt ("East Land") on aDutch 1662map, 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). A Dutch map of 1710 was the first to show the island accurately, naming itHet Noord Ooster Land ("The North-east Land").
During theGerman occupation of Norway 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.[1]
The rock types in Nordaustlandet stem from many different geological eras. The northern part consists of old crystalline basement, with rocks such asmarble,quartzite, mica schist,gneiss andgranite. East ofLady Franklinfjorden, on the peninsulaBotniahalvøya and east ofDuvefjorden there are volcanic rocks. In the east and south ofRijpfjorden the bedrock is made up of distinctive red-coloured granite. The Rijpfjord granite is medium grained, and contains two micas (muscovite andbiotite) in addition toquartz,plagioclase and pinkK-feldspar. It was emplaced in late Silurian times.
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Layeredgabbro anddolerite of Silurian age occur atKapp Laura in easternmost Nordaustlandet, on the island ofStorøya, and in the eastern part of the island ofKvitøya. OnAndréeneset, in the southern part of Kvitøya, gneisses and granites are the most common rock types. Four generations of rocks: gneiss,amphibolite, and grey and pink granite are present onIsispynten, a headland east of Austfonna. South ofWahlenbergfjorden there is a large area withsedimentary rocks – mostlylimestone anddolomite – from the Carboniferous and Permian. The youngest rocks in Nordaustlandet are Jurassic–Cretaceous dolerite dikes, which intrude the basement rocks on the island ofLågøya and in the outlet ofBrennevinsfjorden.
Unconsolidated deposits in Nordaustlandet consist of scree slopes, block fields and raised shore deposits. There are only small amounts of river deposits. The largeststrandflats on Nordaustlandet can be found in the north-west, aroundMurchisonfjorden and on the island of Lågøya. Another large strandflat isSvartknausflya in the south, just west of the glacier of Bråsvellbreen. Here, there are raised shore deposits up to 120m.a.s.l., where ancient whale bones have been found 70 m (230 ft) abovetoday's sea level. Svartknausflya is also the largest moraine area in Nordaustlandet; it measures about 70 km2 (27 sq mi).
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. BetweenVibebukta 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, includingVegafonna, stretch across an area of 8,450 km2 (3,263 sq mi). Austfonna covers approximately 58% of Nordaustlandet. Vestfonna is 2,445 km2 (944 sq mi). The largest areas with no ice are between Austfonna and Vestfonna and on the peninsulas in the north and north-west of Nordaustlandet.
The glacierBråsvellbreen is a branch of Vestfonna. In 1937-1938 it had one of the largest surges ever recorded in Svalbard. The 30 km-wide (19 mi) glacier front moved 20 km (12 mi) forward and into the ocean.
