Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gvvz8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T16:38:18.419Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The geology of Kong Karls Land, Svalbard

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 May 2009

D. G. Smith ,
W. B. Harland ,
N. F. Hughes  and
C. A. G. Pickton
D. G. Smith
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, Trinity College, Dublin 2
W. B. Harland
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EQ
N. F. Hughes
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EQ
C. A. G. Pickton
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EQ
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

The only substantial descriptions of the small, generally ice-bound archipelago in eastern Svalbard were from an expedition led by Nathorst in 1898 which landed in Kong Karls Land for fourteen days. Our paper amplifies those findings, from work with a helicopter-borne expedition in 1969. The easternmost of the three main islands, and all the small islands, are formed of basic igneous rocks of Cretaceous age. Two of the main islands, Svenskøya and Kongsøya, are formed of latest Triassic to early Cretaceous strata, protected by caps of Cretaceous lava that determine their shape and the general topography. The third, Abeløya, is basaltic throughout.

Type
Articles
Information
Geological Magazine , Volume 113 , Issue 3 , May 1976 , pp. 193 - 232
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1976

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Arkell, W. J. 1956. The Jurassic Geology of the World. Oxford University Press, pp. xv+806Google Scholar
Backlund, H. G. 1907. Über einige Diabase aus arktischen Gebiet. Mineralog. petrogr. Mitt., Neue Folge, 26, 357–90.Google Scholar
Blüthgen, J. 1936. Die Fauna und Stratigraphie des Oberjura und der Unterkreide von König Karl Land. Grimmen (Pomerania), 75 pp.Google Scholar
Buchan, S. H., Challinor, A., Harland, W. B. & Parker, J. R. 1965. The Triassic stratigraphy of Svalbard. Skr. norsk Polarinst. 135, 1–92.Google Scholar
Dibner, V. D. 1957. The geological structure of Franz Josef Land. Trudy nauchno-issled. Inst. Geol. Arkt. 114, 65–76. In Russian.Google Scholar
Dibner, V. D. 1961. Stratigraphy of the Upper Triassic and Jurassic rocks of the Barents—Kara shelf and the Taimyr mountains. Dokl. Akad. Nauk. SSSR, Geol. 139, (4), 947–9. In Russian.Google Scholar
Dibner, V. D. 1962(a). Stratigraphy of the Cretaceous rocks of the islands of the Barents—Kara shelf and Taimyr mountains. Dokl. Akad. Nauk. SSSR, Geol. 144 (5), 1113–14. In Russian.Google Scholar
Dibner, V. D. 1962(b). On Mesozoic deposits of Novaya Zemlya. Trudy nauchno-issled. Inst. Geol. Arkt. 130, 58–74. In Russian.Google Scholar
Dibner, V. D. & Shulgina, N. I. 1960. Results of stratigraphic investigations of marine Middle and Upper Jurassic deposits of Franz Josef Land. Trudy nauchno-issled. Inst. Geol. Arkt. 114, 65–7. In Russian.Google Scholar
Edwards, M. B. 1975. Gravel fraction on the Spitsbergen Bank, NW Barents Shelf. Norges geol. Unders. 316, 205–17.Google Scholar
Frebold, H. 1935. Geologie von Spitzbergen, der Bäreninsel, des König Karl- und Franz-Joseph-Landes. In Krenkel, E. (Ed.), Geologie der Erde. Berlin, 195 pp.Google Scholar
Frebold, H. 1951. Geologie des Barentsschelfes. Abh. dt. Akad. Wiss. Berl., Jahrg. 1950, (5), 1–150.Google Scholar
Gjelsvik, T. 1970. The activities of Norsk Polarinstitutt in 1969. Arb. norsk Polarinst. 1969, 161–5.Google Scholar
Gjelsvik, T. 1973. The activities of Norsk Polarinstitutt in 1971. Arb. norsk Polarinst. 1971, 111–17.Google Scholar
Gjelsvik, T. 1975. The activities of Norsk Polarinstitutt in 1973. Arb. norsk Polarinst. 1973, 227–35.Google Scholar
Gothan, W. 1907. Die fossilen Hölzer von König Karls Land. K. svenska VetenskAkad. Handl. 42 (10), 1–41.Google Scholar
Gothan, W. 1908. Die Frage der Klimadifferenzierung im Jura und in der Kreideformation im Lichte paläobotanischer Tatsachen. Jb. preuss. geol. Landesanst. BergAkad. 29, 220–42.Google Scholar
Gothan, W. 1911. Das geologische Alter der Holzreste von König-Karls-Land (und der oberjurassischen Flora der Arktis überhaupt). Z. dt. geol. Ges. B, 63, 163–166.Google Scholar
Hamberg, A. 1899. Über die Basalte des König Karl Landes. Geol. För. Stockh. Förh. 21, 509–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hamberg, A. 1905. Astronomisehe, photogrammetrische und erdmagnetische Arbeiten der von A. G. Nathorst geleiteten schwedischen Polarexpedition 1898. K. svenska VetenskAkad. Handl. 39 (6), 1–62.Google Scholar
Harland, W. B. 1970. Norsk-Cambridge Svalbard Expedition, 1969. Polar Rec. 15, 331–2.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harland, W. B. 1973. Mesozoic geology of Svalbard. Mem. Amer. Ass. Petrol. Geol. 19, 135–48.Google Scholar
Harland, W. B. 1975. Phanerozoic relative motions of North Atlantic Arctic lands. Mem. Can. Soc. Petrol. Geol. 4, 235–56.Google Scholar
Harland, W. B., Cutbill, J. L., Friend, P. F., Gobbett, D. J., Holliday, D. W., Maton, P. I., Parker, J. R. & Wallis, R. H. 1974. The Billefjorden fault zone, Spitsbergen. Skr. norsk Polarinst. 161, 72 pp.Google Scholar
Hoel, A. 1935. The discovery of King Karl Land, Spitsbergen. Geogrl Rev. 25, 476–8. New York.Google Scholar
Horn, G. 1932. Some geological results of the Norwegian Expedition to Franz Josef Land, 1930. Norsk geol. Tidsskr. 11, 482–9.Google Scholar
Hughes, N. F., Harland, W. B. & Smith, D. G. 1976. Preservation and abundance of palynomorphs in Svalbard. Geol. Mag. 113, 233–40.Google Scholar
Lindström, G. 1900. On Thecocyathus Nathorsti n.sp., a Neocomian coral from King Charles Land. Ofvers. K. Vetensk Akad. Förh. 1900, (1), 5–12.Google Scholar
Morbey, S. J. 1975. The palynostratigraphy of the Rhaetian Stage, Upper Triassic in the Kendelbachgraben, Austria. Palaeontographica B, 152, 1–75.Google Scholar
Nathorst, A. G. 1899. The Swedish Arctic Expedition of 1898. Geogrl J. 14, 51–76 and 155–176, map.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nathorst, A. G. 1901. Bidrag til Kung Karls Lands geologi. Geol. För. Stockh. Förh. 23, 341–78, map.Google Scholar
Nathorst, A. G. 1910. Beiträge zur Geologie der Bären Insel, Spitzbergens und des König-Karl-Landes. Bull. geol. Instn Univ. Upsala 10, 261–416, 2 pls (incl. geol. map 1: 500 000).Google Scholar
Orbell, G. 1973. Palynology of the British Rhaeto-Liassic. Bull. geol. Surv. Gt Brit. 44, 1–44.Google Scholar
Orvin, A. K. 1940. Outline of the geological history of Spitsbergen. Skr. Svalbard Ishavet 78, 1–57, geol. map 1:1000 000.Google Scholar
Parker, J. R. 1966. Folding, faulting and dolerite intrusion in the Mesozoic rocks of the fault zone of central Spitsbergen. Arb. norsk Polarinst. 1964, 47–55.Google Scholar
Parker, J. R. 1967. The Jurassic and Cretaceous sequence in Spitsbergen. Geol. Mag. 104, 487–505.Google Scholar
Pike, A. 1898. A cruise on the east of Spitsbergen. Geogrl J. 11, 365–71.Google Scholar
Pompeckj, J. F. 1899. Marines Mesozoikum von König-Karls-Land. Ofvers. K. VetenskAkad. Förh. 56, 449–64.Google Scholar
Schröter, C. 1880. Fossile Hölzer aus der arctischen Zone. I. Fossiles Holz von König-Karl-Land (früher Giles-Land). In Heer, O., Flora fossilis arctica. Die Fossile Flora der Polarländer, Sechster Band, I Abteilung. Zurich, 38 pp., 3 pls.Google Scholar
Seilacher, A. 1968. Swimming habits of belemnites — recorded by boring barnacles. Palaeogeogr., Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol. 4, 279–285.Google Scholar
Smith, D. G. 1975. The stratigraphy of Wilhelmøya and Hellwaldfjellet, Svalbard. Geol. Mag. 112, 481–91.Google Scholar
Smith, D. G., Harland, W. B. & Hughes, N. F. 1975. Geology of Hopen, Svalbard. Geol. Mag. 112, 1–23.Google Scholar
Tozer, E. T. 1967. A standard for Triassic time. Bull. geol. Surv. Can. 156, 103 pp.Google Scholar
Woodward, A. S. 1900. Notes on fossil fish remains collected in Spitzbergen by the Swedish arctic expedition, 1898. Bih. K. svenska VetenskAkad. Handl. 25, (4), (5), 1–7.Google Scholar