Mardalsfossen
Encyclopedia
Mardalsfossen is one of the ten highest waterfall
s in Europe
. It is located in the municipality of Nesset
in Møre og Romsdal
county, Norway
. The falls are on the Mardøla river which flows into the lake Eikesdalsvatnet
, about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) northwest of the village of Eikesdalen
. The waterfall is depicted in Nesset
's coat-of-arms.
The total fall is 705 metres (2,313 ft) according to SSB, 657 metres (2,155.5 ft) according to World Waterfall Database. It consists of two large drops and several smaller ones lower down. The highest vertical drop, which is 358 metres (1,174.5 ft), is one of the tallest in Norway. It is on average 24 metres (78.7 ft) wide. It is a tiered waterfall.
The water, which has been tapped for hydroelectric use, flows over the falls during the summer tourist season of 20 June to 20 August. At other times the water is channeled through the hydroelectric scheme. The highest rate of flow ever recorded in the falls is 45 m3/s. Currently in the summers, the flow limited to less than 3 m3/s.
In 1970 Arne Næss
, the Norwegian founder of the Deep Ecology
movement, tied himself with 300 others in protest against the building of a dam and the subsequent removal of the waterfall.
". The name of the valley is a compound of an old river name Mara (now Mardøla) and the finite form of dal which means "dale" or "valley
". The old name of the river is probably derived from the verb mara which means "rub", "grave", or "dig".
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
s in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. It is located in the municipality of Nesset
Nesset
Nesset is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway on the Romsdal Peninsula. The administrative centre is the village of Eidsvåg. Other population centers include Rausand, Boggestranda, Myklebostad, Eresfjord, and Eikesdalen....
in Møre og Romsdal
Møre og Romsdal
is a county in the northernmost part of Western Norway. It borders the counties of Sør-Trøndelag, Oppland and Sogn og Fjordane. The county administration is located in Molde, while Ålesund is the largest city.-The name:...
county, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. The falls are on the Mardøla river which flows into the lake Eikesdalsvatnet
Eikesdalsvatnet
Eikesdalsvatnet is a lake in the municipality of Nesset in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The lake is long and narrow, roughly in length, and it is the largest lake in Møre og Romsdal county....
, about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) northwest of the village of Eikesdalen
Eikesdalen
Eikesdalen is a village in the municipality of Nesset in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located at the south end of the lake Eikesdalsvatnet at the mouth of the river Aura. The Mardalsfossen waterfall lies about northwest of the village. The village of Eresfjord is located about north,...
. The waterfall is depicted in Nesset
Nesset
Nesset is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway on the Romsdal Peninsula. The administrative centre is the village of Eidsvåg. Other population centers include Rausand, Boggestranda, Myklebostad, Eresfjord, and Eikesdalen....
's coat-of-arms.
The total fall is 705 metres (2,313 ft) according to SSB, 657 metres (2,155.5 ft) according to World Waterfall Database. It consists of two large drops and several smaller ones lower down. The highest vertical drop, which is 358 metres (1,174.5 ft), is one of the tallest in Norway. It is on average 24 metres (78.7 ft) wide. It is a tiered waterfall.
The water, which has been tapped for hydroelectric use, flows over the falls during the summer tourist season of 20 June to 20 August. At other times the water is channeled through the hydroelectric scheme. The highest rate of flow ever recorded in the falls is 45 m3/s. Currently in the summers, the flow limited to less than 3 m3/s.
In 1970 Arne Næss
Arne Næss
Arne Dekke Eide Næss was a Norwegian philosopher, the founder of deep ecology. He was the youngest person to be appointed full professor at the University of Oslo....
, the Norwegian founder of the Deep Ecology
Deep ecology
Deep ecology is a contemporary ecological philosophy that recognizes an inherent worth of all living beings, regardless of their instrumental utility to human needs. The philosophy emphasizes the interdependence of organisms within ecosystems and that of ecosystems with each other within the...
movement, tied himself with 300 others in protest against the building of a dam and the subsequent removal of the waterfall.
Name
The first element is the genitive of the name of the valley Mardalen and the last element is the finite form of foss which means "waterfallWaterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
". The name of the valley is a compound of an old river name Mara (now Mardøla) and the finite form of dal which means "dale" or "valley
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
". The old name of the river is probably derived from the verb mara which means "rub", "grave", or "dig".