Vegdalsskaret

Coordinates: UTM 32W 0629456 7282410, 65°38'15.2''N 11°48'47.5''E

Primary interests: Science, Education

Traces of a larger terminal moraine on Vega occurs on the topographically smooth northeast part of the island. In addition, two smaller local moraines are present in the mountains in the southern parts of the island.

One of them, a small W-E-oriented local moraine, is situated on the east side of Vegdalsskaret. The moraine stand apart as a long ridge easily visible from the hiking trail leading from Moen towards Vegdalen. The material in the moraine derives from a local cirque glacier not connected to the regional ice sheet. The age of the moraine is unknown, but the material was most likely deposited during the colder climate in the Younger Dryas period, about 12.500 years ago.

The other local moraine occurs at 500 m a.s.l. in the mountain west of Trollvasstinden. This site is seen from the hiking trail used by tourists, but we believe that the main value of this moraine is educational, i.e. it is a suitable site to learn about the local ice sheet movement.