Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Canada Nunavut Ellesmere Island Mummified Forest

Ellesmere Island Mummified Forest

Rare mummified forest could offers a glimpse into how our environment has been changed by humans.

Nunavut

Added By
Nick Jackson
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
  http://cdni.wired.co.uk/620x413/k_n/mummyf...
Researchers on Ellesmere Island.   http://www.colorado.edu/news/r/7f24670acf4...
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Far north, above the Arctic Circle, on a Canadian island without any trees, a rare mummified forest was discovered in December 2010 by researchers from Ohio State University. The forest isn't rare because it's mummified - those have been found in pockets all over the world - but because is offers a "peek into the way plants reacted to climate change millions of years ago," one newspaper declared.

The forest, on Ellesmere Island, contains at least four different species of wood and tree leaves. The researcher responsible for its discovery found that the trees had been covered by an avalanche sometime between two and eight million years ago. They have been perfectly preserved. "These aren't just fossils," the researcher said. "You can burn this stuff. It's just like wood you would find anywhere today."

This is the 12th frozen forest that has been discovered in the Arctic, but it's the furthest north, on the edge of where a forest could possibly grow. Scientists plan to test parts of the trees to determine the environmental conditions at the time the forest was covered by the avalanche, which will help them understand the climate and its changes over millions of years.

Related Tags

Plants Natural Wonders Intriguing Environs Ecosystems Nature

Community Contributors

Added By

nbj914

Edited By

aribrown

  • aribrown

Published

December 16, 2010

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • Associated Press: "Mummified Forest Reveals Climate Change Clues, Discovered On Ellesmere Island" (December 2010): http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/16/mummified-forest-climate-change_n_797953.html
  • The Columbus Dispatch: 'OSU researcher finds mummified forest" (December 2010): http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/12/16/OSU_researcher_discovers_mummified_forest.html?sid=101
  • American Geophysical Union: http://www.agu.org/
Ellesmere Island Mummified Forest
Nunavut, X0A
Canada
80.75039, -72.665191

Nearby Places

Ellesmere Island

Baffin, Unorganized, Nunavut

miles away

Hans Island

Denmark / Canada

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Nunavut

Nunavut

Canada

Places 10
Stories 8

Nearby Places

Ellesmere Island

Baffin, Unorganized, Nunavut

miles away

Hans Island

Denmark / Canada

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Nunavut

Nunavut

Canada

Places 10
Stories 8

Related Places

  • Japanese lake with stone lantern. (Wikimedia Commons)

    Cowra, Australia

    Japanese War Cemetery and Garden

    Final resting place for hundreds of prisoners of war.

  • Mill Valley, California

    Nature Friends Tourist Club

    Discover for yourself what Herb Caen referred to as "the best kept secret in the Bay Area."

  • Fairy Circles in Namibia.

    Namibia

    Fairy Circles of Southern Africa

    Unexplained bald patches in the landscape grow and recede over time, as though they are somehow alive.

  • Huesca, Spain

    Congost de Mont-rebei

    A breathtaking canyon offers stunning views and frightful pathways through an ecological paradise.

  • Buendía, Spain

    La Ruta de las Caras: The Route of Faces

    Numerous sculptures set along hiking trails symbolize and idealize the relationship between man and nature.

  • Lambing Flat Chinese Tribute Garden. (Hungry Hen)

    Young, Australia

    Lambing Flat Chinese Tribute Garden

    Tribute to the Chinese people of Young and Australia.

  • 2015

    Atlanta, Georgia

    Cator Woolford Gardens

    Secret gardens just a few miles from downtown Atlanta.

  • Munnar, India

    Kolukkumalai Tea Estate

    At 8,000 feet, the world's highest tea estate draws visitors for both its products and its panoramic views.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.