Tjörnes Fossil Layers

Background

History & Background

The Tjörnes sedimentary sequence has become a key research site for understanding Iceland's geological and environmental history. Its alternating marine, freshwater and glacial deposits preserve evidence of changing climates and ecosystems over long periods.

The Tjörnes fossil layers, Tjörneslögin, are one of Iceland's most important geological archives. Exposed in coastal cliffs on the Tjörnes peninsula north of Húsavík, the sedimentary sequence is more than 500 metres thick and records major changes in environment through time. Different layers formed in shallow marine water, rivers, lakes and glacial conditions as the region repeatedly subsided and rose. Many strata contain abundant fossils. Molluscs, crustaceans and foraminifera are especially common, but remains of fish and marine mammals have also been found, including seal, walrus and whale bones. The fossils are scientifically important because they record changes in climate and marine ecosystems around the beginning of the Ice Age. Visitors should remember that fossils in Iceland are protected: they may be observed and photographed, but removal or disturbance requires official permission. The site is therefore best experienced as a geological landscape rather than a collecting location.