Sverrefjellet

Sverrefjellet is a mountain in Haakon VII Land at Spitsbergen, Svalbard, at the western side of Bockfjorden. It has a height of 507 m.a.s.l., and is an extinct volcano. Sverrefjellet is named after Sverre Sigurdsson. The Sverrefjellet volcano is a fascinating natural formation that has been studied only recently to understand its age and eruption history. Due to its uniqueness, the Sverrefjellet volcano is also being used by researchers as a simulation of Mars's surface to understand how water and therefore life would interact with the cold dry climate. The Sverrefjellet volcano was created during the Pleistocene-age, which was about 2.6 million years ago. The currently accepted range for the last time it erupted is between 6000 years and 1 million years ago. This was found using radiogenic argon gas, a form of radiometric dating that measures the rate of radioactive decay of potassium to argon. The Sverrefjellet volcano is positioned with the Jotun springs to its north and the Troll springs to its south. They are both thermal springs that are created by a major fault line and can get up to 25.6 °C. The Sverrefjellet volcano exists along the Breibogen - Bockfjorden fault system. On the East side of Sverrefjellet are glacial streams and wave cut platforms. These streams run into the valley called Vulkanbekken, which empties into the Bockfjorden fjord. On the north side lies the Adolfbreen glacier. Lastly, on the south side, there is a slope until just north of the Nygaardbreen glacier. Pollen spores were used to understand how specifically the base of the Sverrefjellet volcano evolved over time, this is difficult to do because the Sverrefjellet volcano ash around the profile there are no other objects that can be used for radiocarbon dating. The pollen was identified to come mostly from the following plants surrounding the Sverrefjellet volcano; willow (Salix), sedges (Cyperaceae), and common cottongrass (Eriophorum scheuchzeri).