Fjortende Julibreen, Krossfjorden Spitsbergen
Pebble beach flanked along a lateral moraine below Stefan’s garden
Dawn brought us fog and light swell as the Endeavour traveled south along the west coast of Spitsbergen. We anchored outside the entrance to Hamburgbukta for a morning ashore. We landed to find an enchanting array of lichen almost completely covering the rocks near the entrance. We hiked over an incredible array of patterned ground – sorted polygons of rock formed by the repeated freezing and thawing of the ground. We gathered to examine a small trapper’s cabin and a somber gravesite, and moved onward to fog enshrouded cliffs with nesting dovekies.
During lunch the Endeavour continued south along the coast to Krossfjorden. After lunch we anchored in front of Fjortende Julibreen a small glacier along the east side of Krossfjorden. We went ashore for walks on a lateral moraine beneath the lush green slopes known as Stefan’s garden. The moraine proved a wonderful mix of metamorphic and igneous rocks transported down the mountain and then deposited along the fjord. We examined beautifully folded gneiss cut by dikes of speckled igneous diorite and veins of white quartz. The day drew to a close with all aboard for the farewell dinner.
Pebble beach flanked along a lateral moraine below Stefan’s garden
Dawn brought us fog and light swell as the Endeavour traveled south along the west coast of Spitsbergen. We anchored outside the entrance to Hamburgbukta for a morning ashore. We landed to find an enchanting array of lichen almost completely covering the rocks near the entrance. We hiked over an incredible array of patterned ground – sorted polygons of rock formed by the repeated freezing and thawing of the ground. We gathered to examine a small trapper’s cabin and a somber gravesite, and moved onward to fog enshrouded cliffs with nesting dovekies.
During lunch the Endeavour continued south along the coast to Krossfjorden. After lunch we anchored in front of Fjortende Julibreen a small glacier along the east side of Krossfjorden. We went ashore for walks on a lateral moraine beneath the lush green slopes known as Stefan’s garden. The moraine proved a wonderful mix of metamorphic and igneous rocks transported down the mountain and then deposited along the fjord. We examined beautifully folded gneiss cut by dikes of speckled igneous diorite and veins of white quartz. The day drew to a close with all aboard for the farewell dinner.
