The end of the last glaciation was marked by enormous changes in the distribution of ice, sea and land. The Norwegian shelf areas were ice free for a long period prior to mainland Norway, and the relative sea level may have been so low that land areas existed both in the Northern North Sea, and off Mid and North Norway. Thus there may have existed possibilities for early settlement on the shelf. More information about variations in ice front position and relative sea level is, however, needed to pinpoint the most promising areas in which to search for possible traces of human activity. So far, a piece of flint and a cobble of sandstone that may have been fashioned by man have been found, but further integrated Quatemary geological and archaeological investigations are needed to give more detailed information.

Kåre Rokoengen, Institutt for Geologi og Bergteknikk, Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet (NTNU), 7034 Trondheim, Norway;
Arne B. Johansen, Arkeologisk avdeling, Vitenskapsmuseet, Norges teknisk- naturvitenskapelige universitet (NTNU), Erling Skakkes gt. 47, 7013 Trondheim, Norway.