Slope Dynamics in Relation to the Occupation and Abandonment of a Mountain Farm in Þistilfjörður, Northeast Iceland
Extreme weather events such as storms, heavy snow accumulation, rapid snowmelt, and heavy rain have been closely related to slope instability in arctic and subarctic regions. In this paper, we investigate the historical activity of slope processes such as snow avalanches and debris flows in Þistilfj...
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2023
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences13020030 https://doaj.org/article/b99ab7891f1d494b9df18cce29d29ff6 |
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:b99ab7891f1d494b9df18cce29d29ff6 2023-05-15T15:08:25+02:00 Slope Dynamics in Relation to the Occupation and Abandonment of a Mountain Farm in Þistilfjörður, Northeast Iceland Julien Lebrun Najat Bhiry James Woollett Þorsteinn Sæmundsson 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences13020030 https://doaj.org/article/b99ab7891f1d494b9df18cce29d29ff6 EN eng MDPI AG https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/13/2/30 https://doaj.org/toc/2076-3263 doi:10.3390/geosciences13020030 2076-3263 https://doaj.org/article/b99ab7891f1d494b9df18cce29d29ff6 Geosciences, Vol 13, Iss 30, p 30 (2023) slope processes northeastern Iceland farm occupation and abandonment geomorphological and stratigraphical surveys historical records Geology QE1-996.5 article 2023 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences13020030 2023-02-26T01:30:13Z Extreme weather events such as storms, heavy snow accumulation, rapid snowmelt, and heavy rain have been closely related to slope instability in arctic and subarctic regions. In this paper, we investigate the historical activity of slope processes such as snow avalanches and debris flows in Þistilfjörður, northeastern Iceland, and examine their possible role in the occupation and abandonment of three archaeological sites located on slopes of Mt. Flautafell. The study combines geomorphological and stratigraphical surveys with historical records, notably Jarðabók Árna Magnússonar og Páls Vídalíns and Sýslu og sóknarlýsingar Bókmenntafélagsins Svalbarðssókn . Geomorphological surveys show numerous features that are indicative of active slope movement processes in and around the investigated sites. Our results suggest that the slopes experienced periods of instability during the occupation of these sites. The burial or destruction of some parts of the homefield at the Flautafell farm reveals slope activity, which may also be related, at least indirectly, to the abandonment of the farm at Norður Hús sometime before A.D. 1300. Nearby auxiliary farm installations of Stekkur remained untouched by slope processes even though they are situated in a vulnerable area. Further study and dating of slope processes and farm occupation could allow them to be used as proxies for deteriorating environmental conditions affecting the region. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Iceland Subarctic Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic Hús ENVELOPE(-14.812,-14.812,65.109,65.109) Þistilfjörður ENVELOPE(-15.464,-15.464,66.323,66.323) Flautafell ENVELOPE(-15.763,-15.763,66.162,66.162) Stekkur ENVELOPE(-14.995,-14.995,64.973,64.973) Geosciences 13 2 30 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
slope processes northeastern Iceland farm occupation and abandonment geomorphological and stratigraphical surveys historical records Geology QE1-996.5 |
spellingShingle |
slope processes northeastern Iceland farm occupation and abandonment geomorphological and stratigraphical surveys historical records Geology QE1-996.5 Julien Lebrun Najat Bhiry James Woollett Þorsteinn Sæmundsson Slope Dynamics in Relation to the Occupation and Abandonment of a Mountain Farm in Þistilfjörður, Northeast Iceland |
topic_facet |
slope processes northeastern Iceland farm occupation and abandonment geomorphological and stratigraphical surveys historical records Geology QE1-996.5 |
description |
Extreme weather events such as storms, heavy snow accumulation, rapid snowmelt, and heavy rain have been closely related to slope instability in arctic and subarctic regions. In this paper, we investigate the historical activity of slope processes such as snow avalanches and debris flows in Þistilfjörður, northeastern Iceland, and examine their possible role in the occupation and abandonment of three archaeological sites located on slopes of Mt. Flautafell. The study combines geomorphological and stratigraphical surveys with historical records, notably Jarðabók Árna Magnússonar og Páls Vídalíns and Sýslu og sóknarlýsingar Bókmenntafélagsins Svalbarðssókn . Geomorphological surveys show numerous features that are indicative of active slope movement processes in and around the investigated sites. Our results suggest that the slopes experienced periods of instability during the occupation of these sites. The burial or destruction of some parts of the homefield at the Flautafell farm reveals slope activity, which may also be related, at least indirectly, to the abandonment of the farm at Norður Hús sometime before A.D. 1300. Nearby auxiliary farm installations of Stekkur remained untouched by slope processes even though they are situated in a vulnerable area. Further study and dating of slope processes and farm occupation could allow them to be used as proxies for deteriorating environmental conditions affecting the region. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Julien Lebrun Najat Bhiry James Woollett Þorsteinn Sæmundsson |
author_facet |
Julien Lebrun Najat Bhiry James Woollett Þorsteinn Sæmundsson |
author_sort |
Julien Lebrun |
title |
Slope Dynamics in Relation to the Occupation and Abandonment of a Mountain Farm in Þistilfjörður, Northeast Iceland |
title_short |
Slope Dynamics in Relation to the Occupation and Abandonment of a Mountain Farm in Þistilfjörður, Northeast Iceland |
title_full |
Slope Dynamics in Relation to the Occupation and Abandonment of a Mountain Farm in Þistilfjörður, Northeast Iceland |
title_fullStr |
Slope Dynamics in Relation to the Occupation and Abandonment of a Mountain Farm in Þistilfjörður, Northeast Iceland |
title_full_unstemmed |
Slope Dynamics in Relation to the Occupation and Abandonment of a Mountain Farm in Þistilfjörður, Northeast Iceland |
title_sort |
slope dynamics in relation to the occupation and abandonment of a mountain farm in þistilfjörður, northeast iceland |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences13020030 https://doaj.org/article/b99ab7891f1d494b9df18cce29d29ff6 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-14.812,-14.812,65.109,65.109) ENVELOPE(-15.464,-15.464,66.323,66.323) ENVELOPE(-15.763,-15.763,66.162,66.162) ENVELOPE(-14.995,-14.995,64.973,64.973) |
geographic |
Arctic Hús Þistilfjörður Flautafell Stekkur |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Hús Þistilfjörður Flautafell Stekkur |
genre |
Arctic Iceland Subarctic |
genre_facet |
Arctic Iceland Subarctic |
op_source |
Geosciences, Vol 13, Iss 30, p 30 (2023) |
op_relation |
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/13/2/30 https://doaj.org/toc/2076-3263 doi:10.3390/geosciences13020030 2076-3263 https://doaj.org/article/b99ab7891f1d494b9df18cce29d29ff6 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences13020030 |
container_title |
Geosciences |
container_volume |
13 |
container_issue |
2 |
container_start_page |
30 |
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1766339789673463808 |