Kjeragbolten (
English: ''Kjerag Bolt'') is a
boulder on the mountain
Kjerag in
Sandnes municipality in
Rogaland county,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
. The rock itself is a
glacial deposit wedged in a large crevice in the mountain. It is a popular tourist destination and is accessible without any climbing equipment. However, it is suspended above a deep abyss. It is also a popular site for
BASE jumping
BASE jumping () is the recreational sport of jumping from fixed objects, using a parachute to descend to the ground. BASE is an acronym that stands for four categories of fixed objects from which one can jump: buildings, antenna (radio), antenna ...
. The boulder is just southwest of the village of
Lysebotn, just south of the
Lysefjorden.
Geology
Rogaland lies in a weak
tectonic zone, allowing the river to dig into the surrounding sandstone
mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...
. During the several
glaciation
A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate be ...
s known to have occurred in Scandinavia, Norway was completely covered in glaciers. Between the glaciations, the meltwater formed and reformed the valley up to 22 times. After the
last glacial period, global warming caused a rise in sea level, flooding the fjords. The boulder was deposited during this last glaciation at around 50,000 B.C. As the Norwegian Glacier melted, it was accompanied by a rebound in rock formations as the ice was removed. In Kjeragbolten's case, the rebound was faster than the rising sea level, which wedged the rock into its current position.
Tourism
Kjeragbolten has long been a famed
photo opportunity in the Kjerag trails. It was featured in the 2006 viral video ''
Where the Hell is Matt?'' where traveler
Matt Harding danced atop the precarious boulder. Because of its enormous popularity, long lines usually form with people who want to have a photo from the site. Expected waiting time can be anywhere from a few minutes to over an hour, especially when there are cruise ships in
Stavanger
Stavanger, officially the Stavanger Municipality, is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the third largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the ...
. The Boulder is easy to step onto from the side. There have been no recorded deaths from falling off the boulder in Norwegian history.
It is a popular location for BASE jumping, but one source noted that "there are several BASE-jumping accidents every year" there.
See also
*
List of individual rocks
*
Preikestolen
*
Kjerag
*The Immortal Bridge, a similar formation on
Mount Tai
References
External links
{{Commons category-inline
Flickr Kjerabolten ImagesWorld BASE fatalities
Landforms of Rogaland
Cliffs of Norway
Forsand
Glacial deposits of Norway
Rock formations of Norway
Individual rocks