Glaciers, mountains and tundra on the north side of Isfjord
Ymerbukta and Erdmannflya on the north side of the Isfjord.
Ymerbukta is a bay on the north side of Isfjord, 36 kilometres west of Longyearbyen. Most tourists visit Ymerbukta as part of a day trip on one of the excursion boats from Longyearbyen, which sail past the Esmarkbreen glacier. Esmarkbreen is surrounded by striking, rugged mountains with beautiful structures.
Esmarkbreen.
Erdmannflya lies to the east of Ymerbukta. Vast and flat, this tundra plain may seem unremarkable from a distance. Up close, however, Erdmannflya is an interesting and varied landscape. However, the surrounding waters are mostly very shallow, so the shore is not always easily accessible.
Wide-open tundra on Erdmannflya.
Ymerbukta (pronounced ‘Ümer’, maybe “Eemerbukta” is the next-best approach) is named after a giant from Norse mythology, Esmarkbreen after the Swedish mineralogist Jens Esmark (1763-1839) and Erdmannflya after Esmark’s Norwegian colleague Axel Joachim Erdmann (1814-69).
Geology
As a first approximation, the geological bedrock in Isfjord is getting younger from west to east, i.e. from the outer coast to the inner fjord, as in Bellsund and Hornsund. At least from the outer coast to central Isfjord (up to Colesbukta and Longyearbyen).
This is true in so far as the Ymerbukta-Erdmannflya area has younger rocks than neighbouring Trygghamna to the west. There (Trygghamna) it is the very old basement rocks and the Carboniferous and Permian (i.e. Palaeozoic). In Ymerbukta it starts with the Triassic, i.e. the beginning of the Mesozoic (Palaeozoic, the age of the dinosaurs).
Triassic sediment layers on the west side of Ymerbukta.
The same is true within the Ymerbukta-Erdmannflya area: the further east, the younger. On the eastern side of Erdmannflya we are in the early Tertiary (now officially called the Palaeogene, but ‘Tertiary’ is probably more familiar to most people). This means that a wide geological spectrum is represented in this area.
Tertiary sandstone exposed on a coastal cliff on the eastern side of Ymerbukta.
In any case, these are all sedimentary rocks, mostly clastic sediments (what is washed together by rivers and in coastal and shallow sea areas): Sandstones and even finer grained siltstones and mudstones (in other words fossilised mud) and carbonates (limestone). Fossils can also be found, such as shells and ammonites from the Triassic and Jurassic periods.
Tectonically, the whole region has undergone major movements: When Svalbard and Greenland separated, initially friction and pressure caused the strata to be strongly displaced, folded and fractured (crossed by faults). The structures are clearly visible in the mountain slopes surrounding Ymerbukta.
Geological structures in Ymerbuka.
This can disturb the local principle “the further east the younger”. For example, on the eastern shore of the Ymerbukta, very close to the glacier, there are small areas of older rocks from the Permo-Carboniferous period: hard limestones in which fossil corals and brachiopods can be found.
Fossil coral stems and brachiopods from the upper Carboniferous or lower Permian.
There are coal seams in the Tertiary bedrock on Erdmannflya just as in the geologically equivalent rocks around Barentsburg and Longyearbyen. These were explored by Russian geologists in the 1970s, as evidenced by a hut in the southern part of Erdmannflya and a ruined hut on the shore on the western side of the plain (the eastern side of Ymerbuka).
Landscape
The most prominent eye-catcher in Ymerbukta is the Esmarkbreen glacier, which many tourists marvel at, for example as part of a fjord cruise as a day trip from Longyearbyen. Esmarkbreen is surrounded by beautiful mountains, which, due to the steepness and folding of the rock layers, have a very rugged appearance (in contrast to the south side of Isfjord between Longyearbyen and Barentsburg). The glacier itself is receding rapidly, and in many places on the glacier front rocks are now emerging at the waterline.
Rocks are appearing under the retreating glacier front of Esmarkbreen.
Erdmannflya is an extensive plain, typical of much of the west coast of Spitsbergen and the north side of the Isfjord. The geomorphology of these coastal plains has never been fully understood, but erosion of the coastline has probably played a major role. It is striking that every one of these coastal plains is somehow different in character, at least at a closer look.
Hiking across the vast Erdmannflya.
If you look closely, you can see traces of the shoreline receding into the sea in the form of old beach ridges (shorelines) as a result of land uplift after the end of the last ice age (glacio-isostatic land uplift). In short, the heavyweight of the Ice Age glaciers disappeared at the end of the Ice Age, subsequently the land rose a little, thus the sea appeared to retreat, the coastline moved into the sea and the old coastline appeared to move inland (in fact obviously it stayed where it was 🤪). This can be seen in the form of beautiful geometric patterns, especially from an elevated perspective.
Fossil beach ridges on Erdmannflya.
On a small scale, there are beautiful structures here and there, such as frost patterned ground.
Frost patterned ground on Erdmannflya.
Flora and fauna
Pretty much everything that swims in Arctic fjords swims in Ymerbukta, at least occasionally. Ringed and bearded seals are particularly easy to see in spring and early summer, when there is still ice in the bay, because the seals like to rest on the ice, and if you’re lucky there might be a walrus or two resting on the edge of the ice, and maybe even a polar bear wandering around somewhere.
Curious harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) in Ymerbukta.
The tundra on both sides of Ymerbukta, but especially on the vast Erdmannflya, provides good grazing for reindeer …
Reindeer on Erdmannflya.
… and of course the various tundra birds, from geese to common eiders, king eiders and many more. Of course, there is always an arctic fox around somewhere.
Arctic fox on Erdmannflya.
On Erdmannflya there is a larger lake called Straumsjøen. It is home to Arctic char, a trout-like fish that the locals like to catch (or net) (you need a fishing licence, only locals are allowed to use nets). In the summer, it is easy to see what the char feed on: When the wind is reasonably calm, the numerous insects quickly make their presence felt.
Arctic char in a moraine lake on Erdmannflya.
History
Regarding historical significance, Ymerbukta may not necessarily be one of Spitsbergen’s most prominent fjords. On the shore of Morenekilen are the rather inconspicuous remains of a Pomor hunting station. One can only assume that the bay must have been deep enough for boats in the Pomor period in Spitsbergen, but has now silted up to the point where it is too shallow for boats.
Remains of a Pomor hunting station. Morenekilen, Erdmannflya.
The shores of Erdmannflya are almost all too shallow for boats to land easily. This, of course, has an effect on use: no access, no use. Unless you have a helicopter, like the Russian geologists who explored the coal deposits there in the 1970s. The hut in the middle of the land is evidence of this – which is unusual, as the vast majority of older huts are on the coast, where building materials can be brought in by boat. Of course, that doesn’t matter when you arrive by helicopter.
Russian geologist’s hut on Erdmannflya.
A few old tracks still bear witness to the Russians’ work: the Russians obviously didn’t take environmental protection too seriously back then (is anyone surprised?), using heavy vehicles to get around the fragile tundra, whatever they were (probably tractors). Here and there, rusting iron signs with crude Cyrillic letters still stand, telling visitors who registered the rights at the time: the Russian company Trust Arktikugol, which still owns and runs Barentsburg and Pyramiden.
Russian annexation sign on Erdmannflya.
Photo gallery: Ymerbukta and Esmarkbreen
Some impressions of Ymerbukta and Esmarkbreen, bay and glacier. Pictures taken between 2006 and 2024, the months from May to October are represented.
Click on thumbnail to open an enlarged version of the specific photo.
Photo gallery: Erdmannflya
And finally some pictures from Erdmannflya. The landscape is a world of its own, but you have to see it up close to appreciate all the details.
This and other publishing products of the Spitsbergen publishing house in the Spitsbergen-Shop.
Norwegens arktischer Norden (1): Spitzbergen
Photobook: Norway's arctic islands. The text in this book is German. [shop url="https://shop.spitzbergen.de/en/polar-books/70-norwegens-arktischer-norden-1-aerial-arctic-9783937903262.html"] ← Back
Lofoten, Jan Mayen and Spitsbergen from the air - Photobook: Norway's arctic islands. The text in this book is German, but there is very little text, so I am sure that you will enjoy it regardless which languages you read (or not).
The companion book for the Svalbardhytter poster. The poster visualises the diversity of Spitsbergen‘s huts and their stories in a range of Arctic landscapes. The book tells the stories of the huts in three languages.
Comprehensive guidebook about Spitsbergen. Background (wildlife, plants, geology, history etc.), practical information including travelling seasons, how to travel, description of settlements, routes and regions.
Join an exciting journey with dog, skis and tent through the wintery wastes of East Greenland! We were five guys and a dog when we started in Ittoqqortoormiit, the northernmost one of two settlements on Greenland’s east coast.
12 postcards which come in a beautifully designed tray. Beautiful images from South Georgia across Antarctica from the Antarctic Peninsula to the Ross Sea and up to Macquarie Island and Campbell Island.