Skallberget
Skallberget rises 260 metres above sea level and offers a fantastic view for those who follow the path up the mountain. There is a bothy on the mountain! The view itself makes the place worth visiting, but Skallberget also has a unique cave system and deep clefts for those who dare.
From the early 1970s onwards, Gustav Sjögren surveyed and made the caves accessible to the general public, by placing fantastic ladders in them. These ladders and constructions are now in such a poor state that they should not be used, so access to the caves requires good physical fitness and your own climbing equipment. A torch and helmet are essential. The “downwards cleft" is 70m long, at most 24m deep and occasionally narrow — depending on your build it may be a tight squeeze. 
The caves at Skallberget are among Sweden´s biggest primary rock caves and have deep clefts, up to 30 metres deep, with vertical walls. According to Rabbe Sjögren, the clefts were probably formed by the weathering of diabase dykes.
The western part of Skallberget consists of grey and red Revsund granite, with large crystals of orthoclase. This rock is 1600-1850 million years old. Due to the downward folding of the Earth´s crust, the ground surface was forced far below what was then the surface of the sea. Sediment, in the form of gravel, sand and silt, was then deposited in the sea around the areas of granite and eventually formed the rock known as greywacke. The granites have cracked due to the enormous pressure and volcanic forces have started work. Volcanic ash is found in the area´s slates. The cracks in the granites have then been filled by magma, in the form of a soft, easily weathered diabase. Many millions of years later, when the land has again been raised high above the present level, several glaciations have passed over the region. These have eroded away the diabase that filled the cracks so that today´s open clefts were created. Remains of the diabase can still be found in sheltered places along the walls of the clefts. The final glaciations pushed the rock below the sea and when it one again began to rise out of the water, about 5000 years ago, the southern cleft collapsed. However, large cavities remained and surf came crashing into these, polishing the rocks and the walls of the cleft. This can be seen today, up to 15 metres above the base of the cleft. 
Photographer: Kristin Linström
Information: The closest visitor centre is Skule naturum. Information material is also available from the tourist office in Örnsköldsvik.
Accessibility: There is a good road to the car park and there are plenty of parking spaces at the foot of Skallberget. Accessibility to the sites varies from good to poor, and requires good to excellent mobility of the visitor. Sites can be visited by large groups. No accessibility from the water. Services: Earth closet (bothy on Skallberget). Other: Target groups: The site is suitable for a wide range of groups. There are good daytrips at the site. |
