Kinnekulle is a flat-topped mountain in the county of

Västergötland Västergötland (), also known as West Gothland or the Latinized version Westrogothia in older literature, is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish), situated in the southwest of Sweden. Vä ...

, southwestern Sweden, on the eastern shore of lake

Vänern Vänern ( , , ) is the largest lake in Sweden, the largest lake in the European Union and the third-largest lake in Europe after Ladoga and Onega in Russia. It is located in the provinces of Västergötland, Dalsland, and Värmland in the sou ...

. Its highest point is above sea level. The mountain is long and wide at the top.

Geology

Despite its enormous size, Kinnekulle is actually the smaller remnant of a much larger plateau, long ago worn down to a flat plain. Some 550 million years ago, in the

Neoproterozoic Era The Neoproterozoic Era is the last of the three geologic eras of the Proterozoic eon, spanning from 1 billion to 538.8 million years ago, and is the last era of the Precambrian "supereon". It is preceded by the Mesoproterozoic era and succeeded b ...

, the bottom-most rock of the plateau was under the sea. Layers of

sedimentary rock Sedimentary rocks are types of rock (geology), rock formed by the cementation (geology), cementation of sediments—i.e. particles made of minerals (geological detritus) or organic matter (biological detritus)—that have been accumulated or de ...

formed over that layer from sand, mud, and sea animal remains. About 200 million years ago, during the

Mesozoic era The Mesozoic Era is the era of Earth's geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods. It is characterized by the dominance of archosaurian reptiles such as the dinosaurs, and of gymnosperms s ...

, the area was uplifted above the sea. Tectonic activity forced molten

lava Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a Natural satellite, moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a Fissure vent, fractu ...

through the sedimentary rock, creating sheetlike layers of

diabase Diabase (), also called dolerite () or microgabbro, is a mafic, holocrystalline, subvolcanic rock equivalent to volcanic basalt or plutonic gabbro. Diabase dikes and sills are typically shallow intrusive bodies and often exhibit fine-gra ...

. These layers, when present, protected the softer sedimentary rock beneath them from erosion, resulting in

mesa A mesa is an isolated, flat-topped elevation, ridge, or hill, bounded from all sides by steep escarpments and standing distinctly above a surrounding plain. Mesas consist of flat-lying soft sedimentary rocks, such as shales, capped by a ...

-like mountains such as Kinnekulle and its neighbours.

History

The historic town and church of

Husaby Husaby is a village, near Kinnekulle, belonging to Götene Municipality in the province of Västergötland, Sweden. Husaby Church Husaby is most known for Husaby Church (''Husaby kyrka'') a medieval stone church. During the early 11th ce ...

are located on the south side of the Kinnekulle. Tradition says that

Olof Skötkonung Olof Skötkonung (; – 1022), sometimes stylized as Olaf the Swede, was King of Sweden, son of Eric the Victorious and, according to Icelandic sources, Sigrid the Haughty. He succeeded his father in c. 995. He stands at the threshold of record ...

, the first Christian King of Sweden, was baptized here in 1008 at a well located just north of the church. The mountain of

Kinnefjellet Kinnefjellet is a mountain in Oscar II Land at Spitsbergen, Svalbard. It has peaks with heights of 601 and 544 m.a.s.l. and is located at the southern side of Venernbreen. The mountain is named after the hill of Kinnekulle in the Swedish province ...

Spitsbergen Spitsbergen (; formerly known as West Spitsbergen; Norwegian language, Norwegian: ''Vest Spitsbergen'' or ''Vestspitsbergen'' , also sometimes spelled Spitzbergen) is the largest and the only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipel ...

Svalbard Svalbard ( , ), previously known as Spitsbergen or Spitzbergen, is a Norway, Norwegian archipelago that lies at the convergence of the Arctic Ocean with the Atlantic Ocean. North of continental Europe, mainland Europe, it lies about midway be ...

, is named after Kinnekulle.

References

External links

* {{commons category-inline
Kinnekulle - Turistportal

Sweden travel guide
Hills of Sweden Landforms of Västra Götaland County