The Geology of The Fjord Coast Park – Simply Explained, Easy to Love

In the Fjordkysten Regional and Geopark, an extraordinary story is written into the landscape – a tale of oceans opening, continents colliding, and mountains that once towered higher than Mount Everest. And the best part?
You don’t need a PhD or a compass to understand it. Just a touch of curiosity and a good pair of walking boots.

Geology – Solid Stuff, and All True

The Earth is covered in huge plates, a bit like sheets of ice drifting on water. They move slowly but surely – and sometimes, they collide. The result? Mountains rise – bam! – and a brand-new chapter in Earth’s long story begins.

That’s exactly what happened here on the West Coast of Norway several hundred million years ago, when ancient Europe and ancient North America slammed together so hard that the Iapetus Ocean vanished, and the Caledonian Mountain Range was born.

And this wasn’t just any mountain range – it likely reached over 9,000 metres high! Though today it’s worn down, it left behind clear traces: folded and crumpled rocks like those at Brurastakken, and minerals like garnet mica schist, quartzite and marble – which you can see, for example, in the Stone Park in Hyllestad.

When Mountains Fall – and the Landscape Slips

After millions of years of pressure and pushing between the continents, nature said: “That’s enough.”

The ancient continents began to drift apart again, triggering a dramatic collapse. The massive mountain range cracked open, and whole mountainsides slid down along large fractures in the Earth’s crust – so-called fault zones.

One of these faults, known to geologists as a shear zone, still marks clear lines in the landscape – visible on Losna, beneath Lihesten, and Storehesten (Kvamshesten). Below this line, the rocks have been stretched out like pizza dough.

Those Colourful, Rounded Stones? That’s Conglomerate.

The remains of the once-mighty Caledonian Mountains. Sand, gravel, and large boulders crashed down into high mountain valleys, then were compressed over millions of years into solid rock.

You’ll find this conglomerate today at Lihesten, Storehesten (Kvamshesten), and in Solund.

In other words – what once lay in valleys surrounded by towering peaks, is today the majestic mountains themselves. And the original peaks? They’ve been worn away by wind and weather over millions of years.

Glaciers and the Legacy of the Ice Age

Eventually, the glaciers took over as landscape sculptors. They carved out fjords, dragged massive boulders, and left behind moraines and striations in the bedrock – telling us exactly which direction the ice once moved.

Much of what you see from the mountaintops – like the Sognefjord, Lågøystolane, and those huge scattered boulders – are direct traces of glacial power.

So next time you’re standing beside a giant rock and wondering, “How on Earth did this get here?” – the answer lies in the footsteps of the ice.

The glaciers followed ancient river valleys, carving them into deep fjords. What was left behind – including all the material they dragged with them – was dumped into the sea and became the foundation of the landscape we know today.

A Journey Through Stone – and Time

Next time you visit FjordKysten and Sunnfjord, don’t just admire the view – understand it. Point to the mountains and say,
“Those peaks were once higher than the Himalayas.”

Wonder how Alden came to be, or why the mountains in Solund all lean the same way – as if they’ve been combed out by an invisible hand.

Geology isn’t just about rocks. It’s about time. It’s about natural processes and ancient drama. It’s about a landscape you can see, touch – and walk on.

So take a walk in Fjordkysten Regional and Geopark, and let the ground beneath your feet become part of your story.

And who knows – maybe next time you trip over a rock, you’ll pause and say,
"Oh, sorry. I didn’t realize you were 400 million years old."