Billingen

Billingen is the largest of the thirteen mesas in the Swedish county of Västra Götaland, with a maximum altitude of 304 metres (997 ft).

The mesa plateau is covered with vast forests and moorlands, including the nature reserve Blängsmossen with its unique flora.

The limestone at Billingen has been quarried for a long time for concrete manufacturing; diabase is also still quarried there; The mesa, located between the two great lakes Vänern and Vättern, is also a popular nature resort with several nearby hotels, and an annual orienteering tournament is held here.

Some additional local points of interest are Jättadalen (a dramatic ravine with a waterfall), Silverfallen, and the "caves of Ryd" which are better described as free-standing pillars of diabase.

The bedding sequence begins with the crystalline bedrock of the Baltic Shield, followed by sandstone from the File Hajdar formation, uranium-rich alum shale, limestone, slate and a topmost 40-metre-thick (130 ft) layer of diabase, known locally as trapp (see deccan traps).