Festningen Geotope Protected Area

Festningen Geotope Protected Area (Norwegian: Festningen geotopvernområde) is located at the outermost edge of Grønfjorden's mouth to Isfjorden on Nordenskiöld Land, Spitsbergen in Svalbard, Norway. The profile is a cliff which runs along the coast from Kapp Starostin to Festningsodden.[2] It covers an areas of 16.6 square kilometres (6.4 sq mi), of which 14 square kilometres (5.4 sq mi) is on land and 3 square kilometres (1.2 sq mi) in the sea.[3] Barentsburg is the closest settlement, located 6 kilometres (4 mi) away, across Grønfjorden.[2] Festningen was protect on 26 September 2003,[1] as part of a major expansion of the protected areas in Svalbard.[4] The protected areas is administrated by the Norwegian Directorate for Nature Management and the Governor of Svalbard.[3] Festningen ("The Fortress") is a traditional name given by Norwegian hunters to the area because it looked like a natural fortress.[5]

Festningen Geotope Protected Area
IUCN category III (natural monument or feature)
LocationSvalbard, Norway
Nearest cityBarentsburg
Coordinates78°5.1′N 13°50.9′E
Area16.6 km2 (6.4 sq mi)[1]
Established26 September 2003
Governing bodyNorwegian Directorate for Nature Management

The geotope profile consists of geological succession deposits from several hundred millions of years.[3] It has nearly vertical layers with continual exposure from the Permian period to the Cenozoic era. The stratigraphical features were recorded during the 1910s and 1920s, and are used within geological sciences as a strategic reference profile.[2] Fossilized footprints of an Iguanodon dinosaur, 0.5 metres (1 ft 8 in) in diameter, dating from 100 million years ago, have been found at Festningen. They were 10 to 12 metres (33 to 39 ft) long and 3 to 5 metres (9.8 to 16.4 ft) tall. Located on a cliff, they were highly exposed to erosion; after they were found and copied, the slab fell into the sea.[3]

References
  1. "Festningen geotopvernområde" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Nature Management. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 28 March 2010.
  2. "Festningsprofilet" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Norwegian Polar Institute. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
  3. "Protected Areas in Svalbard" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Nature Management. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
  4. "Nye forskrifter for vern av Svalbard" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Ministry of the Environment. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
  5. "Festningen". Norwegian Polar Institute. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 6 April 2010.


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