The Mummified Forest of the Arctic: Axel Heiberg Island

You may remember previous blog posts about one of Nunavut’s most fascinating places. Axel Heiberg Island, located next to Ellesmere Island in the highest regions of Nunavut, is home to fossils of ancient reptiles and various other animals, as well as mummified remains of 45 million year-old trees. Multiple fossil sites can be found across both islands, which have fascinated scientists since their discovery. However, fossils, along with all other landscapes and organic matter, are sensitive to disturbance and subject to erosion by natural processes. The Government of Nunavut has recognized this, and is interested in protecting some of the key fossil sites on Axel Heiberg Island.

Aarluk is currently formatting a final background study report regarding Axel Heiberg. The report, developed for the Government of Nunavut’s Parks and Special Places Division, contains all of the known data available on the fossil forest sites located on Axel Heiberg and Ellesmere Island. Data was collected and analyzed to compare options for creating a protected area for some of the key fossil sites. The final report contains five options for the Government of Nunavut to consider, and identifies one of those options as having the greatest potential for successful protection of the mummified fossil forest resources found at the Geodetic Hills location on Axel Heiberg Island.

h/t Chris Grosset, Geoff Rigby