Tafjord
Encyclopedia
Tafjord is a village in the municipality of Norddal
in Møre og Romsdal
county, Norway
. The village is located at the end of the Tafjorden
, about 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) southeast of Sylte
, and just west of the borders of Reinheimen National Park
. In the park, the mountains Tordsnose
, Karitinden
, and Puttegga
all lie about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) to the southeast of Tafjord in the Tafjordfjella
mountains.
The village is very isolated and other than by boat, the only way into the valley is by road from Sylte. The road is composed almost entirely of two tunnels through the very steep mountains along the edge of the Tafjorden
: the 5.3 kilometres (3.3 mi) Heggurtunnelen and the 700 metres (2,296.6 ft) long Skjegghammartunnelen.
of about 2000000 cubic metres (2,615,901.2 cu yd) of rock fell off the mountain Langhamaren from a height of about 700 metres (2,296.6 ft). The rock landed in the Tafjorden
which created a local tsunami
which killed 47 people living on the shore of the fjord. The waves reached a height of 62 metres (203.4 ft) near the landslide, about 7 metres (23 ft) at Sylte, and about 16 metres (52.5 ft) at Tafjord. It was one of the worst natural disasters in Norway in the 20th century.
Norddal
Norddal is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It covers the easternmost part of the Sunnmøre region along the border with Oppland county...
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 village is located at the end of the Tafjorden
Tafjorden
Tafjorden is a branch of the Norddalsfjorden/Storfjorden in the municipality of Norddal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The fjord is located southeast of Sylte, the municipal center of Norddal...
, about 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) southeast of Sylte
Sylte, Norddal
Sylte is a village and the municipal center of the municipality of Norddal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is situated at the southern end of the Valldalen valley along the shore of the Norddalsfjorden near the mouth of the Valldøla river, just west of the entrance to the Tafjorden. The ...
, and just west of the borders of Reinheimen National Park
Reinheimen National Park
Reinheimen National Park was established in 2006. The park consists of a continuous protected mountain area. It is located in Møre og Romsdal and Oppland counties in Norway. The park includes parts of the municipalities of Lesja, Skjåk, Vågå, Lom, Norddal, and Rauma...
. In the park, the mountains Tordsnose
Tordsnose
Tordsnose is a mountain in the municipalities of Norddal and Skjåk in Norway. The tall mountain lies within the Tafjordfjella mountain range, about southwest of Karitinden and south of Puttegga. The lake Grønvatnet sits south of the mountain and the lake Tordsvatnet lies straight east of...
, Karitinden
Karitinden
Karitinden is a mountain in the Tafjordfjella mountain range, just southeast of Puttegga on the border of Møre og Romsdal and Oppland counties in Norway. The top of the mountain is a tripoint border junction for the municipalities Skjåk , and Norddal and Rauma...
, and Puttegga
Puttegga
Puttegga is the highest mountain in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It lies on the border of the municipalities of Norddal and Rauma. It is located just northwest of the mountain Karitinden, inside Reinheimen National Park. The nearest village is Tafjord, to the west...
all lie about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) to the southeast of Tafjord in the Tafjordfjella
Tafjordfjella
Tafjordfjella or Tafjordfjellene is a mountain range in Møre og Romsdal and Oppland counties, Norway. It is located in the municipalities of Norddal, Stranda, Rauma, and Skjåk. The area takes its name from the village of Tafjord and the Tafjorden, the main entry point...
mountains.
The village is very isolated and other than by boat, the only way into the valley is by road from Sylte. The road is composed almost entirely of two tunnels through the very steep mountains along the edge of the Tafjorden
Tafjorden
Tafjorden is a branch of the Norddalsfjorden/Storfjorden in the municipality of Norddal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The fjord is located southeast of Sylte, the municipal center of Norddal...
: the 5.3 kilometres (3.3 mi) Heggurtunnelen and the 700 metres (2,296.6 ft) long Skjegghammartunnelen.
History
On 7 April 1934, a landslideLandslide
A landslide or landslip is a geological phenomenon which includes a wide range of ground movement, such as rockfalls, deep failure of slopes and shallow debris flows, which can occur in offshore, coastal and onshore environments...
of about 2000000 cubic metres (2,615,901.2 cu yd) of rock fell off the mountain Langhamaren from a height of about 700 metres (2,296.6 ft). The rock landed in the Tafjorden
Tafjorden
Tafjorden is a branch of the Norddalsfjorden/Storfjorden in the municipality of Norddal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The fjord is located southeast of Sylte, the municipal center of Norddal...
which created a local tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
which killed 47 people living on the shore of the fjord. The waves reached a height of 62 metres (203.4 ft) near the landslide, about 7 metres (23 ft) at Sylte, and about 16 metres (52.5 ft) at Tafjord. It was one of the worst natural disasters in Norway in the 20th century.