Sveafallen, Sweden
WoGE 393 was posted on 7 August 2013 and found by Brian on 10 August 2013 (79 hrs 38 min).
For WoGE #393 I took a location in Sweden. The location is in the South West corner of Bergslagen, near Degerfors. The Bergslagen area is geologically seen formed after the last Ice Age, approximately 10.000 years ago. It is an area rich of minerals and big rocks.
The area just south of Degerfors in Sweden is now all covered with trees, but supposedly once was the location of Sveafallen. Sveafallen is the name of the waterfall in the Svea Älv (river) where the water from Ancylus Lake was falling into the river Letälven. This is all very much associated with the development of the Baltic Sea as we know it now. The Svea Älv area forms also the boundary between Götaland to the South and Svealand to the North.
About 9500-8000 years ago the Baltic Sea (to be) was a body of fresh water known as Ancylus Lake. The fresh water originated from melted glacier water from the last Ice Age. The melting of the ice also caused the Baltic area to rise, thereby disconnecting from the salt water in the west. Lake Vänern got disconnected from the elevated Ancylus Lake 8000 years ago.
The water from Ancylus Lake did not follow the route through Öresund as it does nowadays, but used the Svea river, the Let river and the passage through lake Vänern to discharge in the salt water of the Skagerak. The stronger rising of the area in the east will have caused a waterfall to develop in the area shown in WoGE #393.
Scientists once were under the impression that this must have been a gigantic waterfall, very much the size of Niagara Falls or the Iguazu Falls. Nowadays it is more likely that the falls in fact were more like cataracts. Nevertheless a serious amount of water must have flown through the area that now is elevated well above the sea level.
Interesting features in the area are the five water channels that have guided the water from the Ancylus lake to the sea and especially the many potholes that can be found around the Sveafallen area. These potholes develop when the melting glacier ice is cascading down, taking stones along that are constantly hitting on the rock below.
Maybe the area is not spectacular, but to my opinion it is most interesting to realize how the rock formations and potholes must have developed by a mighty glacial river that is totally non existing in our present time.
For WoGE #393 I took a location in Sweden. The location is in the South West corner of Bergslagen, near Degerfors. The Bergslagen area is geologically seen formed after the last Ice Age, approximately 10.000 years ago. It is an area rich of minerals and big rocks.
The area just south of Degerfors in Sweden is now all covered with trees, but supposedly once was the location of Sveafallen. Sveafallen is the name of the waterfall in the Svea Älv (river) where the water from Ancylus Lake was falling into the river Letälven. This is all very much associated with the development of the Baltic Sea as we know it now. The Svea Älv area forms also the boundary between Götaland to the South and Svealand to the North.
About 9500-8000 years ago the Baltic Sea (to be) was a body of fresh water known as Ancylus Lake. The fresh water originated from melted glacier water from the last Ice Age. The melting of the ice also caused the Baltic area to rise, thereby disconnecting from the salt water in the west. Lake Vänern got disconnected from the elevated Ancylus Lake 8000 years ago.
The water from Ancylus Lake did not follow the route through Öresund as it does nowadays, but used the Svea river, the Let river and the passage through lake Vänern to discharge in the salt water of the Skagerak. The stronger rising of the area in the east will have caused a waterfall to develop in the area shown in WoGE #393.
Scientists once were under the impression that this must have been a gigantic waterfall, very much the size of Niagara Falls or the Iguazu Falls. Nowadays it is more likely that the falls in fact were more like cataracts. Nevertheless a serious amount of water must have flown through the area that now is elevated well above the sea level.
Interesting features in the area are the five water channels that have guided the water from the Ancylus lake to the sea and especially the many potholes that can be found around the Sveafallen area. These potholes develop when the melting glacier ice is cascading down, taking stones along that are constantly hitting on the rock below.
Maybe the area is not spectacular, but to my opinion it is most interesting to realize how the rock formations and potholes must have developed by a mighty glacial river that is totally non existing in our present time.
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