Viking Magazine - March 2021 - 12

Norway has captured headlines with
new volcanic activity that's quite literally
bubbling to the surface.
" Norway is a volcanic country on par
with Iceland. The difference being that
whereas Iceland's volcanoes are onshore,
Norway's volcano landscape is in the deep
sea, " according to a press release from the
University of Bergen (UiB), whose Centre
for Geobiology is the country's leading
deep-ocean research institution.
Thanks to tools like seismic data from
earthquakes, mechanical modeling and
ocean-bottom seismometers,
which record the motion
of the earth underwater,
scientists continue to make new
discoveries about Norway's
relatively unknown world of
underwater volcanoes, from
the depth and temperature of
these hydrothermal vents to the
mineral deposits and ecosystems
that thrive there.
Here, learn more about three
of Norway's active volcanoes,
as well as four places in Iceland
where you can experience these
lava landscapes up close.
Loki's Castle
Discovered during a UiB expedition in
2008, Loki's Castle is a volcanic range
between Norway and Greenland. At
depths ranging from roughly 400 to
8,000 feet underwater, this chain of
hydrothermal vents expels superheated
600-degree water, creating an environment
for unique ecosystems and metal deposits
to form. Researchers estimate that Loki's
Castle adds two centimeters to the
volcanic seabed each year. While this may
not seem like much, this growth makes
the area along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge the
most geologically active in Norway.
" These discoveries are incredibly
interesting, as they represent a part of
the Norwegian nature that is underexplored, "
said Dag Rune Olsen, the
12 VIKING MARCH 2021
sonsofnorway.com
rector for UiB, in a press release. " They
represent a part of nature where conditions
are extreme, and where we expect to find a
lot of new and exciting biology. "
In the future, this volcanic range may
be accessible to the public as well as
researchers, who are hoping to establish
Loki's Castle as a national park, similar
to Yellowstone in the U.S. This would
offer the area environmental protections
against the mining industry, which has also
taken an interest in Loki's Castle because
of the metal deposits that form around
University of
Bergen researchers
have found new
animal species
living near the
volcanos they
discovered.
the vents. " It is our opinion that this area
is so unique that it should be preserved.
We are talking about very vulnerable
environments, " said Rolf Birger Pedersen,
director of UiB's Centre for Geobiology, in
a press release.
Added Olsen, " It would represent a new
way of preservation thinking if a national
park was to be linked to Loki's Castle. "
Beerenberg
Barely visible on a map, the island of Jan
Mayen sits in the middle of the Norwegian
Sea, nestled between Greenland, Iceland,
and its governing country, Norway. Since
it was first discovered during the Viking
Age, the island has been used for whaling
in the 1600s, Arctic fox hunting at the
beginning of the 1900s and meteorological
research starting in the 1920s with
the establishment of the Norwegian
PHOTO BY POSNOV / GETTY IMAGES
http://www.sonsofnorway.com
Viking Magazine - March 2021

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