Steinvika

Steinvika was formed when Norway lay south of the equator and the land was covered by a shallow tropical sea. The rocks in Steinvika originated in the Earth’s prehistory, specifically about 461–451 million years ago, during the latter part of the period known as the Ordovician6. At that time, Norway was located about 30 degrees south of the equator, on a large continental plate called Baltica. At the very beginning of Earth’s prehistory, Baltica was a low-lying plain. The continent was gradually flooded and transformed into a shallow marine area through the Cambrian and the first part of the Ordovician. The shallow, warm sea provided perfect conditions for abundant animal and plant life. In the water lived cephalopods and graptolites, and on the sea floor trilobites, brachiopods, snails, bryozoans, and crinoids were common, in addition to various reef-building organisms such as corals, stromatoporoids, and “calcareous algae”.

Favorable preservation conditions have resulted in many of these organisms being found as fossils in the rocks at Steinvika18. The term “fossils” includes remains, petrifications, impressions, or trace fossils (such as movement traces) of ancient organisms. The greatest chance of fossilization is found in organisms with a mineralized internal skeleton or external shell that is not easily broken down or consumed by other organisms. Over time, the original minerals (e.g., calcite) in skeletons and shells are often wholly or partially dissolved and replaced by other minerals (petrification). In addition to petrifications, fossil impressions and trace fossils are very common in Steinvika.

There are marked trails leading from the parking lot out to Langesundstangen. In summer, Steinvika is a popular bathing spot.