Tjellefonna

You are now standing on historic ground! It was right here on the evening of the 28th February 1756 that Tjellefonna the biggest landslide in Norwegian history occurred. 15 million cubic metres of stone came down from a height of 400 metres. As they came down the mountainside and into the sea the stones were pulverized as if they were in a crusher, which only increased the speed of the landslide as it reached the sea. Three large tidal waves took the lives of 32 people along Langfjorden and the destruction left by the waves was enormous. The waves reached a height of 30 to 40 metres and in total destroyed 168 buildings and 196 boats. Woodland, roads, boatsheds and quays along the land also disappeared. The whole of Langfjorden was bubbling and the highest wave was recorded at Veøya 25 kilometers west of the landslide at a height of 15 metres over the flood line. Geologists give two possible explanations for the landslide of 1756. One is that there was an earthquake prior to the landslide. The second and most likely explanation is related to the weather conditions. The landslide occurred after a mild and unusually wet February. The heavy rain led to increased water in mountain springs which in turn loosened rocks on the mountain and released the landslide. At Tjelle, to the eastern part of the landslide area you can find an information board where you can read more about Norway’s largest landslide.