University of BergenPublished: 06.09.2015 | Author: Endre Skaar, Inge Aarseth
The fields have been affected by many landslides. In the picture from 1914 it is spring, and the snow has melted; only a little of the avalanche is left.
ANNUAL AVALANCHES
South of Velure the mountainsides plunge from 1500 metres right down into Sørfjorden. No place along the fjord has snow avalanches as often as here.
Along the ridge from Vardanuten and north towards Rundenuten, big snow banks were built up by westerly winds, particularly winds from the northwest. When the snow banks let loose either because of their own weight, or because of the onset of mild weather, they also swept with them snow from the mountainside down toward the fjord. The energy in such an avalanche can be enormous, and the amount of snow down by the fjord can also be so big that avalanche snow can remain until long into August. Naturally enough, forest does not manage to grow up in the avalanche path.
The avalanches even have their own names: from south to north they are called Lindeskreda, Bersåsskredene, Kveldsflotskreda, Nesåskreda and Svinaskreda.(“skredda” means “slide”.) Long ago, a construction was built to protect the highway,but it sometimes happened that a little of the avalanche took an alternative route and closed off the road.
Avalanche over the road to Velure in 1960 - here, an opening has been made with the help of sea water.
Spring at Velure. The steep slopes south of town give rise to repeated avalanches. (Svein Nord)
- Gravdal, J.; Melkeraaen, K. 1993. Kvit terror. Eit sekund i vestnorsk historie. Januar forlag.
