Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2011, Page 28

RAGNAR EDVARDSSON • ARNAR ÞÓR EGILSSON
archaeological sites were discovered even
though the sample areas were relatively
small when compared to the overall size
of the JJords (Table 1).
The seabed in the surveyed areas is
similar in general terms and the seabed in
almost all places consists of sand, gravel
and rocks. The fjords extending towards
the south from ísafjarðardjúp fjord have
similar seabed composition as the Patreks-
and Tálknafjörður fjords in the south and
Reykjarfjörður and Hveravík in Strandir.
The historical research suggests the
potential for a number underwater sites
around the Vestfirðir peninsula. In the
period 1875 - 1890 on average 1.75
Icelandic fishing boats sunk in Vestfirðir
per year and in the same period 6 large
foreign ships perished. Further historic
research into ship disasters around Iceland
have shown that on average 1.12 large
ships sunk in different places around the
country in the 14th century (Islenskir
Annálar 1847). The high number of ship
losses in these two different periods
demonstrates the possibilities of
shipwrecks from all periods in the waters
around Iceland.
The survey showed that land based
sites such as whaling stations usually have
a submerged archaeological sites in the
vicinity. All whaling stations, both those
fforn the late 19th and early 17th centuries,
recorded submerged archaeology in their
immediate neighborhood. Submerged
archaeology was also recorded by the old
trading posts even though the areas had
been damaged by modem consfructions as
these sites developed into villages in the
20th century. The side-scan sonar survey
indicated a number of possible sites in all
the surveyed areas but these still need to be
examined in more detail (Fig. 11).
Discussion
There is a need for further research into the
deterioration of underwater archaeological
sites in Vestfirðir and Iceland in general as
the survey demonstrated that individual
sites showed a clear difference in
deterioration. Some of the older sites had
remained more stable and were relatively
intact while younger sites had more or less
disappeared. The shipwreck in
Álftafjörður is in a good condition after
109 years underwater while the trawler
Euripides is completely broken up after 89
years on the seabed. It is likely that
different environmental factors are at work
on these two sites resulting in different
preservation.
Studies have shown that various
natural factors determine the level of
destmction on submerged archaeological
sites and they differ between areas. These
factors are many and the right combination
can destroy a site in a relatively short time
while their absence can preserve a site for
centuries. Currents, temperature, level of
oxygen saturation, depth, salinity and
micro-organisms all play an important role
and sites that are in a cold and low oxygen
saturated environment will generally
preserve better than sites in warm and high
oxygen saturated environment (Poumou,
A., Jones, A.M., Moss, S.T. 2001:
299-305).
It is likely that the closed Ijord systems
in Vestfirðir offer a better preservation for
archaeological sites than those areas that
are open to the oceans. Recent study in
Amarijörður fjord suggests that a natural
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