Mannen
Coordinates: 62°27′31″N 07°46′32″E / 62.45861°N 7.77556°E
Photo by Anders Beer Wilse, 1924
Mannen is a mountain rising 1,294 metres (4,245 ft) over the village of Horgheim, along the river Rauma in Romsdalen, Norway. Mannen has a distinctive needle peak. The mountain's shape has been compared to an enormous seated goose that looks out over the Rauma valley, from which it can easily be seen.
As the mountain is unstable — a major landslide of up to 100 million cubic metres of material is said to be impending — an emergency preparedness service, the Åknes/Tafjord intermunicipal company (IKS), has closely monitored the area since 2009.[1] Even a smaller slide of about 2 million cubic metres could cross the valley floor, potentially devastating buildings and damaging the Rauma Line railway and European route E136.[1] Such an event could also partially or completely dam up the river Rauma, creating major disruption and a flooding hazard.
During the autumn of 2014 observers became aware of an abnormally large shifting of a portion of the mountain. While it normally shifts by 1-2 centimetres per year, for three weeks the movement averaged 7 millimetres per day. As a precaution, on October 22 several houses potentially in the path of a landslide were evacuated and the Rauma Line stopped its four-times-a-day rail service.
During the night of October 28, the highest part of the mountain shifted as much as 6 centimetres.[1] The mountain's slippage was three times as much as the previous night's measurement, and it was the largest motion the observers had hitherto seen. Geologist Lars Harald Blikra told a news conference that the lower part of the mountain has also increased its rate of motion.[1]
During 19 and 20 September 2015 the upper parts of the mountain began to shift quickly again, moving 7 cm in one day.[2]
| Date | Centimetres (% change from two days previously) |
|---|---|
| 6 Oct. | 0 |
| 8 Oct. | 0 |
| 10 Oct. | 1 |
| 12 Oct. | 2(+100%) |
| 14 Oct. | 3(+50%) |
| 16 Oct. | 3(0%) |
| 18 Oct. | 4(+33.3%) |
| 20 Oct. | 4(0%) |
| 22 Oct. | 6(+50%) |
| 24 Oct. | 7(+16.7%) |
| 26 Oct. | 9(+28.6%) |
| 28 Oct. | 11(+22.2%) |
| 30 Oct. | 17(+54.5%) |
| 1 Nov. | 20(+17.6%) |
| 3 Nov. | 23(+15%) |
| 5 Nov. | 25(+8.7%) |
| 7 Nov. | 26(+4%) |
| 9 Nov. | 27(+3.8%) |
The name
The name is the finite form of mann 'man' ('The Man'). It is common to compare mountains with persons in Norwegian place names.
See also Storegut, Bonden, De syv søstre and Kjerringa.
References
- 1 2 3 4 Skredet kan kome innan få timar ("Slide could come within a few hours"), 28 October 2014, Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. Accessed 30 October 2014.
- ↑ "Fjellskredovervåkingen - kveldsrapport 20.september 2015" (PDF). Nve.no. Retrieved 2015-09-27.
- ↑ Åknes/Tafjord Beredskap IKS, Dagsrapport 29.10.2014 (Daily report, 29 Oct. 2014). Accessed 31 October 2014.