Uppland is Growing
Uppland is Growing
Uppland is rising, and the county is growing! It has been doing so since the first stone rose out of the sea, however not always at the same speed. Right after the ice age, the bedrock rose more quickly than today. When Uppland was warmer, the water level of the ocean rose at the same speed as the bedrock, so no new land was exposed. South of Uppsala, around Ekoln, you may find some of the exposed land from those days.
The bedrock is rising upwards by about 4mm per year in southern Uppland and by more than 6mm per year in northern Uppland.
Today, there are indications that the land may not continue to rise for much longer. The bedrock continues to rise, however the water level of the ocean is rising at about the same pace, because the Earth is warming up. The climate is changing due to mankind’s emissions of greenhouse gases.
Photo: Uppsala Kommun
Wikipedia article on isostasy