| Sognefjorden | |
|---|---|
| Sognefjord | |
 View of the fjord | |
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  Sognefjorden | |
| Location | Vestland county, Norway |
| Coordinates | 61°06′N5°10′E / 61.100°N 5.167°E /61.100; 5.167 |
| Basin countries | Norway |
| Max. length | 205 km (127 mi) |
| Max. width | 4.5 km (2.8 mi) |
| Max. depth | 1,308 m (4,291 ft) |
TheSognefjord orSognefjorden (Urban East Norwegian:[ˈsɔ̂ŋnəˌfjuːɳ], English:Sogn Fjord[1][2][3]), nicknamed the King of the Fjords (Norwegian:Fjordenes konge), is thelongest and deepestfjord inNorway.[4] Located inVestland county inWestern Norway, it stretches 205 kilometres (127 mi) inland from the ocean to the small village ofSkjolden inLuster Municipality.[4]
The fjord gives its name to the surroundingdistrict ofSogn.[5] The name is related to Norwegian wordsúg- "to suck", presumably from the surge or suction of the tidal currents at the mouth of the fjord.[6]
The fjord runs through many municipalities:Solund,Gulen,Hyllestad,Høyanger,Vik,Sogndal,Lærdal,Aurland,Årdal, andLuster. The fjord reaches a maximum depth of 1,308 metres (4,291 ft) below sea level, and the greatest depths are found in the central parts of the fjord nearHøyanger.[7][8] Sognefjord is more than 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) deep for about 100 kilometres (60 mi) of its length, fromRutledal toHermansverk. Near its mouth, the bottom rises abruptly to asill about 100 metres (330 ft) below sea level. The seabed in Sognefjord is covered by some 200-metre-thick (660 ft) sediments such that the bedrock is some 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) below sea level. The fjord is up to six kilometres (3+1⁄2 mi) wide.[9] The average width of the main branch of the Sognefjord is less than five kilometres (3 mi). The depth increases gradually from Årdal to a central basin reaching more than 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) in depth located betweenLeikanger andBrekke. From Brekke the floor rises rapidly toLosna island, then drops gradually with a threshold at about 150 metres (500 ft) in theSolund area. Thresholds occur in an area with sounds, valleys, and low land where the glacier was allowed spread out and lose its erosive effect.[10]
Cliffs surrounding the fjord rise almost sheer from the water to heights of 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) and more. Around the outer area the land rises to about 500 metres (1,600 ft) above the sea, while in the inner areas of the fjord, they reach about 1,600 metres (5,200 ft). The inner part has extensive tributary fjords such asAurlandsfjorden, while the outer part is connected by narrow sounds to neighbouring fjords. Near the coast the fjord mouth is bounded largely by low islands and skerries that are part of thestrandflat.[10]
The inner end of the Sognefjord is southeast of a mountain range rising to about 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) above sea level and covered by theJostedalsbreen, continental Europe's largestglacier. Thus the climate of the inner end of Sognefjorden and its branches are not as wet as on the outer coastline.[11]Hurrungane range at the eastern end of the fjord reaches 2,400 metres (7,900 ft). The greatest elevation from seabed to summit is inSogndal Municipality. Several rivers pour fresh water into the fjord with an annual "spring" flood in June.[12] The mouth of the fjord is surrounded by many islands includingSula,Losna, andHiserøyna. The Sognefjord cuts through a northwesterngneiss area with a south-west to north-east structure, and penetrates theCaledonian fold through in the inner part. There is no clear relation between the east–west direction of the main fjord and the fold patterns of the bedrock, while some of tributary fjords in the parts corresponds to fold pattern.[10]
The volume of the whole Sognefjorden including its various branches is about 500 cubic kilometres (120 cu mi), while the total volume of rock eroded byglaciers from the entire Sognefjord system and adjacent valleys is about 4,000 cubic kilometres (960 cu mi).[9]
There are many smaller fjords which branch off the main fjord.
The innermost arm of the Sognefjorden is called theLustrafjord, in the municipality of Luster.[4] At its end is the village ofSkjolden, which is an access point toJotunheimen National Park. In earlier times, transport betweenBergen and the Scandinavian inland was by boat between Bergen and Skjolden and from there on a simple road over the highlands (todayNorwegian County Road 55), or by boat toLærdal and through the mountain pass toValdres (nowEuropean route E16).
The valley of Sognefjord is one of various valleys of western Norway that certainly predates the Quaternary glaciations. It existed already as part of the ancientPaleic surface but had at the time much gentler slopes.[13] The fjords of western Norway formed in connection to the east-ward tilting of much of Norway during theCenozoic uplift of the Scandinavian Mountains. This uplift, that occurred long before theQuaternary glaciations, enabled rivers toincise deeply the Paleic relief.[14][15] An estimate of 7610 km3 of rock has been eroded from the Sognefjorddrainage basin since the Paleic surface formed.[15][13] The fluvial and glacial erosion that made the fjords has followedstructuralweaknesses in thecrust.[16]
During the last glaciation the ice reached a maximum thickness of nearly 3000 meters in the Sognefjord area. Confluence of tributary fjords led excavation of the deepest fjord basin. Until about 30 km from the very coast the Sognefjord glacier was apparently constricted to its narrow channel of homogeneous gneiss, then the glacier suddenly spread out presumably through sounds and low valleys.[10][17]
Boats connect settlements along the fjord and its sidearms. Larger villages on the fjord and its branches includeLeirvik,Ytre Oppedal,Vadheim,Høyanger,Vikøyri,Balestrand,Hermansverk,Sogndalsfjøra,Gudvangen,Flåm,Aurlandsvangen,Lærdalsøyri,Årdalstangen,Gaupne andSolvorn. Gudvangen is situated by theNærøyfjord, a branch of the Sognefjord particularly noted for its unspoiled nature and dramatic scenery, and only 300 metres (1,000 ft) across at its narrowest point. Together with theGeirangerfjord inMøre og Romsdal, the Nærøyfjord is aUNESCOWorld Heritage Site. From the village of Flåm, theFlåm Railway climbs 864 metres (2,835 ft) up toMyrdal Station in a distance of only 20 kilometres (12 mi)— one of the steepest unassisted railway climb in the world.[18]
Around the inner end of the fjord, three of Norway's famousstave churches have survived:Kaupanger andUrnes (along the shoreline) andBorgund (30 km or 20 mi into theLærdal valley).[18]
TheSognefjord Span (power lines) crosses the fjord with a span of 4,597 metres (15,082 ft). This is the second largest span of power lines in the world. The fjord has become a tourist attraction with summer tourists being an important part of the local economy.
There is aplan to build a road across the Sognefjord, crossing through asubmerged tube in mid-water anchored to floats. This will avoid storms on the surface, and will not have to go over a kilometer deep to get below the bed of the fjord.[19][20]
There are manyferry crossings of the Sognefjord. One of the ferryboats that traverses this fjord is theMVAmpere, the world's first battery-electric car ferry, which crosses the fjord between the villages ofLavik and [[Oppedal]].[21]
Sognefjordens egentlige navn er Sogn, medens Sogn nu alene bruges om det omgivende landskab, og brugtes saaledes allerede i middelalderen. Navnet er som landskapsnavn hankjønsord og har udentvil været det ogsaa som fjordnavn.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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