In the end of September, the CEG research group had its annual retreat. This year, we aimed for Røros, a small mining town in the east of Norway. On the way to the destination we noticed that we would pass the Jutulhogget, a spectacular geological formation a bit south of Alvdal. Nobody of us had ever heard about it, but since we needed a break anyway we decided to have a look and to learn a bit about the geology of Norway – and, without doubt, the site was worth the visit.

Jutulhogget is a canyon that was formed by the end of the last Ice Age some 10 000 years ago. The canyon is about 2.4 km long, which means it is the longest one in Northern Europe. When visiting the site the first you will notice is the impressive vertical walls that are between 100 and 240 meters deep. Once there, one easily understands that the Jutulhogget is on the list of the first 100 geological heritage sites hat was released by the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) in 2022. It is noteworthy that a prerequisite for being listed was that the site is of international scientific relevance.

How was Jutulhogget formed? We learned that there is two explanations. The first one goes back to a dispute between two trolls, namely the Rendalsjutul and the Glåmdalsjutul. According to the local tale, the former one tried to steal water and carved out the canyon in order to deviate the nearby Glomma river before he was killed by the Glåmdalsjutul. A nice myth, but the scientific explanation may be even more exciting. This is that by the end of the last ICE age melting ice filled the Glåmsjø lake to an extension roughly ten time larger than the Mjøsa lake that is today the largest one in Norway. Eventually, the dam that prevented the water from flowing south broke and an enormous flood carved the canyon in a matter of days.

Given the impressiveness and beauty of the site we were somewhat surprised that Jutulhogget is that little known. If you happen to be in the area, it is certainly highly recommended to take the time for a visit. Jutulhogget is easy to access from Rv3 – just follow the signs until you reach a parking place, a good starting point for a short hike – once you find where you are on the map.

If you wish to learn more about Jutulhogget:

Berthling, I. & Sollid, J.L. 1999. The drainage history of glacial lake Nedre Gl msj, southern Central Norway. Norsk Geografisk Tidsskrift – Norwegian Journal of Geography, 53: 190-201. https://doi.org/10.1080/002919599420785

Høgaas, F. 2023. Nedre Glomsjø og Jutulhogget – en historie om is og vann. Naturen 147: 189–195. https://doi.org/10.18261/naturen.147.4-5.6 (in Norwegian)

Høgaas, F. & Longva, O. 2019. The early Holocene ice-dammed lake Nedre Glomsjø in Mid-Norway: an open lake system succeeding an actively retreating ice sheet. Norwegian Journal of Geology 98: 661-675. https://dx.doi.org/10.17850/njg98-4-08