Kinnekulle is a flat-topped mountain in the county of Västergötland, southwestern Sweden, on the eastern shore of lake Vänern. Its highest point is 306 m (1,004 ft) above sea level.[2] The mountain is 14 km (8.7 mi) long and 7 km (4.3 mi) wide at the top.[2]
| Kinnekulle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 306 m (1,004 ft)[1] |
| Coordinates | 58°36′00″N 13°24′40″E / 58.60000°N 13.41111°E |
| Geography | |
| Location | Götene Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden |
| Parent range | Westrogothian Mesas |
Geology
editDespite its enormous size, Kinnekulle is actually the smaller remnant of a much larger plateau, long ago worn down to a flat plain.[2] Some 550 million years ago, in the Neoproterozoic Era, the bottom-most rock of the plateau was under the sea. Layers of sedimentary rock formed over that layer from sand, mud, and sea animal remains.[2]
About 200 million years ago, during the Mesozoic era, the area was uplifted above the sea. Tectonic activity forced molten lava through the sedimentary rock, creating sheetlike layers of diabase. These layers, when present, protected the softer sedimentary rock beneath them from erosion, resulting in mesa-like mountains such as Kinnekulle and its neighbours.[2]
History
editThe historic town and church of Husaby are located on the south side of the Kinnekulle. Tradition says that Olof Skötkonung, the first Christian King of Sweden, was baptized here in 1008 at a well located just north of the church.[3]
The mountain of Kinnefjellet at Spitsbergen, Svalbard, is named after Kinnekulle.[4]
References
edit- ^ "Statistisk årsbok 2011" (PDF) (in Swedish). Statistics Sweden. p. 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 January 2012. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
- ^ a b c d e Scheffel, Richard L.; Wernet, Susan J., eds. (1980). Natural Wonders of the World. United States of America: Reader's Digest Association, Inc. p. 206. ISBN 0-89577-087-3.
- ^ "Husaby Church, Götene, Sweden - SpottingHistory.com". www.spottinghistory.com. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
- ^ "Kinnefjellet (Svalbard)". Norwegian Polar Institute. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
External links
edit
Media related to Kinnekulle at Wikimedia Commons- Kinnekulle - Turistportal
- Sweden travel guide
