Jomfruland

Jomfruland is an island in the Kragerø archipelago, a characteristic formation, the outermost piece of land before reaching the waves of Skagerrak.

Jomfruland is a part of the Ra-Moraine, which envelopes all of Scandinavia and the Kola-peninsula.

During the last ice age, which started 117.000 years ago, all of Scandinavia was covered in a thick layer of ice. When the ice eventually started melting, large meltrivers where formed, which transported large amounts of sand, gravel and clay to the ocean at the edge of the glacier. The melting happened in periods, and in cold periods the melting stopped and the glaciers grew again. This is what geologists call a glacial surge. The cold period that created the Ra-moraine started 12.800 years ago, and lasted for 1000 years. This time period is called the Younger Dryas, and at its coldes, the glacier stood still more or less where Jomfruland is today. In other words, the glacial wall was where we can find Mølen and Jomfruland, and we can see traces of the ice wall all around Scandinavia. All the loose material that was transported while the glacier stood still created an undersea ridge when the ice retreated, which is today know as the moraine Raet.

The sea level was far above what is today known as Jomfruland, with an estimation of approximately 135m. hen the weight of the glacier dissappeared, the land rose, first quite rapidly and then more slowly. Still to this day, the land is rising a few millimeters per year. When the moraine at Jomfruland reached a depth where waves influenced it, the material in the Ra was sorted, and fine particles were washed out. The result is the beautiful rolling stone beaches on the outside of the island. If you observe closely, you can see natural ''levels'' along the stone beaches. These are marks of previous sea levels and shows where the beach was previously. They tell us about where storm waves crashed in during powerful storms, and shows us that the Earth is always in motion.

Despite Jomfruland's relatively modest size (approx. 7,5km long and 1km wide), there's a huge variety of landscaped, from bedrock gneiss that creates scerries on the outside, through agricultural fields, rolling stone beaches, sand dunes and decidous forests.

In 2016, Jomfruland was protected as a marine national park, due to its geological and biological significance. Among other things, the island's coastal areas contain large kelp forests and eel grass meadows, both very important for marine biodiversity. The protection of Jomfruland is important for maintaining a healthy ocean along the western Skagerrak coast.

The island is a flat ridge of depositions, pushed together in front of the inland ice 12500 years ago. North and South of Jomfruland, the Ra-moraine continues under the sea, and comes back upon land at Mølen, another Geopark locality. For transport to the island, check out Kragerø Fjordbåtselskap or the local taxi boats from Kragerø or Valle.