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Thursday 1 August 2019

Glacial features, Blidö, Sweden

Every summer I find new things.  For example........


Washed moraine rising out of the sea on the east coast of the island.  There is deep water on all sides, and the morainic accumulation seems to rest on slabs of bedrock.


Roche moutonnee form on a small island off the NE coast.  On the right, the up-glacier side with a typical streamined form and coherent glaciated (abraded) slabs.  To the left, on the lee side or downglacier flank, the bedrock has been comprehensively smashed up by heavy sub-glacial pressure and plucking.


An enormous (house-sized) rounded erratic resting on a glaciated slab just above water-level, on the NE side of the island. How heavy?  Maybe 100 tonnes......


Beautiful whaleback forms (miniature roches moutonnees) which show very clearly that the ice travelled from the left (N) towards the right (S).  All abrasion features, streamlined forms, flutes etc are aligned almost exactly north-south in this area.

PS.

Here is an image of the island, for those with inquiring geographical minds:


Blidö is the big island to the east of the long thin one, which is called Yxlan.  To travel around Blidö by sea involves 25 kms of paddling in the kayak -- I did it on my birthday, for the third time.   Tiring, but not dangerous, with wonderful variations in scenery encountered en route.....

1 comment:

tonyH said...

So you've been staying on Blido, or on a nearby smaller island?