Kuröds skalbankar

World-unique shell banks East of Uddevalla are large shell banks. Shell remains from more than 100 different marine invertebrates have been found in the shell banks. Skeletal parts of whales, seals and fish have also been found. The huge shell piles were formed around 11,000-10,000 years ago when the area was covered by seawater. For a period of about 1,000 years, there was a wide strait where sweet water from the melting ice sheet mixed with the salty waters of the Western Ocean. Strong water currents supported rich plant and animal life in the sea. Gradually, more and more of the land dried up due to land uplift. Today, the banks are 55-75 m above current sea level. The nature reserve has been established to preserve the remains of the once mighty deposits. Large parts were exploited for chicken feed and as fill material in the construction of roads, railways and a military shooting range. Today, the shell gravel favors a species-rich and unusual lime-affected flora, which in turn benefits many insects, not least butterflies. Here you can find plants such as gray gray, witch hazel, lime mist and field bindweed. Flying insects such as the silver midge, lesser blue butterfly and broad-brimmed swarmers. There are also hazel snakes and great crested newts. Despite the proximity to buildings, there are wood pigeons and lesser spotted woodpeckers, cuckoos and shrikes here. The nature reserve also has a small museum where you can learn more about the unique shell gravel banks.