Styggforsen | A Meteorite's Mark on Sweden | Rättvik | Dalarna | Siljansringen

Styggforsen is a unique and interesting place to visit. It's a nature reserve and waterfall near Rättvik, worth seeing for many reasons. For a long time, the powerful water here has been used to run mills and power plants, and there are still many old remains near the waterway. The moist air and calcium-rich soil help many rare plants and fungi grow here. But the most amazing thing is the waterfall itself, Styggforsen, which was formed by a meteorite impact and a glacier river.
377 million years ago, a large meteorite, about four kilometers wide and traveling at 100,000 kilometers per hour, struck here and created a huge crater over 50 kilometers wide. The impact pushed the rocks down, and then, as the ground rose again, a dome of granite formed in the middle while the rocks around the crater's edges sank.
Near Styggforsen, these rock layers have turned almost 90 degrees. After the glacier river slowly carved out a deep valley, we can now see the marks of the meteorite deep in the valley.
Styggforsen has always been a place of legends. "Styggmannen" was an old name for the devil, and local legends say that elves, trolls, and other mystical creatures have always lived here. You can walk around the waterfall and down into the valley to see what makes this place different from others.
The area is well-signposted, and there's a café here in the summer.