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Hvítserkur

Rising from the sea like a stone monster.

Iceland

When the tide is out one can clearly see the concrete support   cmb_zgz/Flickr
  davidblaisonneau/Flickr
  smorchon/Flickr
  zanthia/Flickr
  mascall / Atlas Obscura User
Hvitserkur   steverogers888 / Atlas Obscura User
Hvítserkur at high tide   nordkin / Atlas Obscura User
  mascall / Atlas Obscura User
  Saša Jamšek / PhotoHound
Hvítserkur   manoukvanderveen / Atlas Obscura User
  Alexandre Buisse/Wikimedia
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About

Hvitserkur, which translates to "white shirt" and derives its name from being covered in Shag and Cormorant guano, rises 15 metres, or nearly 50 feet from the sea.

It was once the plug of a volcano, but over the years the craters surrounding the rock plug gave way to the pounding Atlantic Ocean leaving only the unusual outcropping Hvítserkur behind. Curiously, Hvítserkur itself would have given way to the ocean as well, had its foundations not been shored up with concrete some years ago.

Icelandic legend has it that the rock was a troll who forgot to retreat from the light and was turned to stone in the sunrise, though from some angles it is said to look like a dragon drinking from the water. The geological oddity was commemorated on an Icelandic stamp in 1990. 

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Published

June 25, 2012

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