Hostname: page-component-84b7d79bbc-7nlkj Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-08-01T03:38:40.489Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Geology of Hopen, Svalbard

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 May 2009

David G. Smith ,
W. B. Harland  and
N. F. Hughes
David G. Smith
Affiliation:
Department of GeologyTrinity CollegeDublin 2
W. B. Harland
Affiliation:
Department of GeologyDowning StreetCambridge, CB2 3EQ
N. F. Hughes
Affiliation:
Department of GeologyDowning StreetCambridge, CB2 3EQ
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Hopen (Hope Island) in the Svalbard archipelago is difficult of access and only recently has reliable geological information become available. Published information is reviewed and combined with new observations.

The island, 37 km long and no more than 2.5 km wide or 370 m high is structurally simple with flat-lying arenaceous strata which are described with three measured sections. Three new local stratal units are defined: Iversenfjellet Formation (325 m, base not seen); Flatsalen Shale Formation (55 m); and Lyngefjellet Sandstone Formation (80 m, top not seen).

From a few ammonite, bivalve, saurian and plant megafossil occurrences and 30 palynomorph taxa (newly recorded) the marine and fluviatile facies range in age from possibly late Karnian, through Norian, Rhaetian and possibly into early Jurassic. The Rhaetian flora, well established palynologically, is the first clear evidence of rocks of this age in Svalbard. Associated Sirenites extends the range of this ammonite and suggests that Svalbard may yield significant new evidence for this span of Earth history.

Type
Articles
Information
Geological Magazine , Volume 112 , Issue 1 , January 1975 , pp. 1 - 23
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1975

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bodylewsky, W. 1926. Fossil Shells. In Iversen, T.: Hopen (Hope Island), Svalbard. Skr. Svalbard Ishavet 10, 34.Google Scholar
Buchan, S. H., Challinor, A., Harland, W. B. & Parker, J. R. 1965. The Triassic stratigraphy of Svalbard. Skr. norsk Polarinst. 135, 92p.Google Scholar
Cox, C. B. & Smith, David G. 1973. A review of the Triassic vertebrate faunas of Svalbard. Geol. Mag. 110, 405–18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flood, B., Nagy, J. & Winsnes, T. S. 1971 a. The Triassic succession of Barentsøya, Edgeøya and Hopen (Svalbard). Meddr norsk Polarinst. 100, 20 pp., 4 pls.Google Scholar
Flood, B., Nagy, J. & Winsnes, T. S. 1971 b. Geological Map of Svalbard 1:500,000. Sheet 1G, Spitsbergen Southern Part. Skr. norsk Polarinst. 154A. (Printed by Norsk Lithografisk Officin and Richies Konvolutfabrik, Oslo.)Google Scholar
Frebold, H. 1935. Geologie von Spitzbergen, der Bäreninsel, des König Karl- und Franz-Joseph-Landes. In Krenkel, E. (Ed.): Geologie der Erde, 195 pp. Berlin.Google Scholar
Frebold, H. 1951. Geologie der Barentsschelfes. Abh. dt. Akad. Wiss. Berl., Jahrg. 1950, No. 5, 1–150.Google Scholar
Harland, W. B. 1970. Field work, Norsk–Cambridge Svalbard Expedition, 1969. Polar Rec. 15, 331–2.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harland, W. B. 1973. Mesozoic geology of Svalbard. Mem. Am. Ass. Petrol. Geol. 19, 135–148.Google Scholar
Harland, W. B., Cutbill, J. L., Friend, P. F., Gobbett, D. J., Holliday, D. W., Maton, P. I., Parker, J. R. & Wallis, R. H. (In the press). The Billefjorden Fault Zone, Spitsbergen – the long history of a major tectonic lineament. Skr. norsk Polarinst. 161.Google Scholar
Harland, W. B. & Reynolds, A. B. 1974. Cambridge Svalbard Expedition 1973. Polar Rec. 17 (106), 43–4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Høeg, O. A. 1926. Fossil Plants. In Iversen, T.: Hopen (Hope Island), Svalbard. Skr. Svalbard Ishavet 10, 32–3.Google Scholar
Hoel, A. 1925. The coal deposits and coal mining of Svalbard, Spitsbergen and Bear Island. Skr. Svalbard Ishavet 6, 92 pp., 8 pls.Google Scholar
Horn, G. 1932. Some geological results of the Norwegian Expedition to Franz Josef Land 1930. Norsk geol. Tidsskr. 11, 482–9.Google Scholar
Hughes, N. F. 1973. Towards effective data-handling in palaeopalynology. Proc. 3rd int. palynol. Conference, Novosibirsk (1971), sec. 2, 9–14.Google Scholar
Hughes, N. F. & Moody-Stuart, J. C. 1967. Proposed method of recording pre-Quaternary palynological data. Rev. Palaeobot. Palynol. 3, 347–58.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Iversen, T. 1926. Hopen (Hope Island), Svalbard. Results of a reconnaissance in the summer 1924. Skr. Svalbard Ishavet 10, 44 pp., 10 pls., 10 figs.Google Scholar
Iversen, T. 1941. Ishavsøya Hopen. Skrifter, Fiskeridirektoratets, Serie Havundersøkelser, 6 (6), 55 pp., 36 figs., Bergen.Google Scholar
Klubov, B. A. 1965. The Triassic and Jurassic deposits of Wilhelmøya. In: Geology of Spitsbergen, 1965. transl. Bradely, J. E., ed. Harland, W. B.. Boston. Spa N.L.L. 1970, 182–92. (From the Russian, ed. Sokolov, V. N. Leningrad 1965.)Google Scholar
Korotkevich, V. D. 1966. Comparison of the Upper Triassic spore-pollen complexes of the Lena–Olenek interfluvial area and Vestspitsbergen. Sb. Stat. Paleont. Biostratigr. 12, 81–5 (in Russian).Google Scholar
Manum, S. 1962. Studies in the Tertiary flora of Spitsbergen, with notes on Tertiary floras of Ellesmere Island, Greenland and Iceland. Skr. norsk Polarinst. 125, 1–127, pls. 1–21.Google Scholar
Nathorst, A. G. 1894. Zur paläozoischen Flora der arktischen Zone enthaltend die auf Spitsbergen, auf der Bäreninsel und auf Novaja Semlja von der Schwedischen Expeditionen. K. svenska VetenskAkad. Handl. 26 (4).Google Scholar
Nathorst, A. G. 1910. Beiträge zur Geologie der Bäreninsel, Spitzbergens und des König-Karl-Landes. Bull. geol. Instn Univ. Upsala 10, 261–416, pls. 14–15.Google Scholar
Orvin, A. K. 1940. Outline of the geological history of Spitsbergen. Skr. Svalbard Ishavet 78, 1–57, pl. 4.Google Scholar
Parker, J. R. 1967. The Jurassic and Cretaceous sequence in Spitsbergen. Geol. Mag. 104, 487–505.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pchelina, T. M. 1972. Concerning the age of sedimentary strata on Hopen. In Sokolov, V. N. & Vasilevskaya, N. D. (Eds): Mesozoic deposits in Svalbard, pp. 75–81. Leningrad, Inst. Geol. Arctic (in Russian).Google Scholar
Pitman, W. C. & Talwani, M. 1972. Sea-floor spreading in the North Atlantic. Bull. geol. Soc. Am. 83, 619–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Richard, J. 1899. Notes d'excursions au Spitsberg et aux îles voisines. C. r. Soc. géogr. Paris, 1899 (2), 66–78 (Paris, 1900).Google Scholar
Selling, O. H. 1944. On cupressoid root remains of Mesozoic age from the Arctic. Ark. Bot. 31A (13), 1–20, pls. 1–8.Google Scholar
Selling, O. H. 1945. A megaspore from the Mesozoic of Hope Island, Svalbard. Bot. Notiser 1, 44–8.Google Scholar
Selling, O. H. 1951. On Protojuniperoxylon arcticum. J. Paleont. 25, 538–9.Google Scholar
Smith, David G. 1974. Late Triassic pollen and spores from the Kapp Toscana Formation, Hopen, Svalbard; a preliminary account. Rev. Palaeobot. Palynol. 17, 175–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thorén, R. 1969. Picture Atlas of the Arctic. Elsevier Publishing Co., Amsterdam, London, New York. 449 pp., 589 pls.Google Scholar
Tozer, E. T. 1967. A standard for Triassic time. Bull. geol. Surv. Can. 156, 103 pp., 10 pls.Google Scholar
Tozer, E. T. 1971. Triassic time and ammonoids: problems and proposals. Can. Jl Earth Sci. 8, 989–1031.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tozer, E. T. & Parker, J. R. 1968. Notes on the Triassic biostratigraphy of Svalbard. Geol. Mag. 105, 526–42, pls. 25–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vasilevskaya, N. D. 1972. The late Triassic flora of Svalbard. In Sokolov, V. N. & Vasilevskaya, N. D. (Eds): Mesozoic deposits in Svalbard, pp. 27–63. Leningrad, Inst. Geol. Arctic (in Russian).Google Scholar
Werenskiold, W. 1926. Physical Geography and Geology; Coal Deposits. In Iversen, T.: Hopen (Hope Island), Svalbard. Skr. Svalbard Ishavet 10, 25–7.Google Scholar
Wieder, F. C. 1919. The Dutch Discovery and Mapping of Spitsbergen, 1596–1829. Amsterdam.Google Scholar
Wiedmann, J. 1973. Evolution or revolution of ammonoids at Mesozoic system boundaries. Biol. Rev. 48, 159–94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Worsley, D. 1973. The Wilhelmøya Formation – a new lithostratigraphical unit from the Mesozoic of eastern Svalbard. Årb. norsk Polarinst. 1971, 7–13.Google Scholar