Anorthosite

Do you know what the moon and Gudvangen have in common? They are both one of the few places where you can find the valuable and distinctive, almost magical rock, Anorthosite. You can see it now in the piles of chalk white stone or sand that can be found at the head of the fjord at Gudvangen. It is mined here and is mainly used in the production of house insulation and to lighten asphalt pavements. The special refraction of light that occurs in the rock, also makes it popular as an ornamental stone or as a coating for countertops. The Anorthosite that is found here in the massive mountain plateaus between Gudvangen and Mjølfjell has thrilled, left people in wonder, and inspired creative expression. Amund Helland gave this description of the area in 1901. “Steep and high mountains border this narrow valley, where on both sides there are large cliffs and screes of labradorite, the colour of which gives the mountains and screes their light colour, so much so that in some places you could think that they are chalk mountains.” At Mjølfjell on the Bergansbanen railway line, the light, flour coloured bedrock gave association to the nynorsk word «mjøl», which means flour, hence how the name Mjølfjell came about. But our eyes can deceive us. The rock is not actually chalk white, but more of a blue, grey, or occasionally brownish colour. The special light refraction gives a magical light show depending on how the light is reflected from the moon or the sun.