Svalbard ancient mountains are preserved

Svalbard`s mountains are older than we previously believed. On research expeditions to get rock samples of the Spitsbergen`s peaks the researchers found mountains that was ancient and little prone to erosion. The study is published in Nature Geoscience with first author Endre Før Gjermundsen, many colleagues from UNIS and others. Otto Salvigsen, Department of Geosciences, is co-author of the article.

People get small in the mountaiins on Svalbard. Some of the mountain peaks that the researchers climbed and took samples from it probably the first time it has been people. Photo: Endre Før Gjermundsen

People get small in the mountaiins on Svalbard. Some of the mountain peaks that the researchers climbed and took samples from it probably the first time it has been people. Photo: Endre Før Gjermundsen

Endre Før Gjermundsen had his research base at UNIS, but was also affiliated with the Institute of Geosciences, University of Oslo, with co-supervisors Otto Salvigsen and Andreas Kaab, Department of Gesciences, and he was part of the MN-faculty's PhD programme.

He took his doctorate in 2013 about how big and active glaciers were in northern Spitsbergen on Svalbard during the Quaternary period, ie during the last glacial period. His doctorate was completed mainly by UNIS under supervisor Anne Hormiga (now employed at Gothenburg University) and partly at the Department of Geosciences,

Now he and his colleagues published their research results in an article in Nature Geoscience. The mountains in Spitsbergen, Svalbard are believed to be older than what we have thought.

Read the article and the interview with Endre Før Gjermundsen and co-authors at ScienceNordic (sciencenordic.com)

 

Reference:

Scientists discover mountains that haven’t changed in a million years. ScienceNordic, 25.9.2015

 

See also recently published research article:

Gjermundsen, E.F, Briner, J.P., Akcar, N., Forors, J., Kubik, P. W., Salvigsen, O., & A. Hormes. 2015. Minimal erosion of Arctic alpine topography during late Quaternary glaciation. Nature Geoscience, 2015-09-16(2015), doi:10.1038/ngeo2524

 

Published Oct. 9, 2015 2:42 PM - Last modified Nov. 22, 2022 10:29 AM