The fossil forest on Axel Heiberg Island in the Canadian High Arctic, discovered in 1985 by the Geological Survey of Canada, is a unique site due to the amount of exposed tree material — some of which is 40 million years old, and dates from the Eocene period. On hillside terraces formed by glacial rivers and the action of wind on thawed soil, tree stumps up to several metres in diameter poke through the forest floor detritus. The site is 1 km long x 5 km wide, and is located near 80o north latitude.
Geologists have discovered in Antarctica the remains of three ancient deciduous forests complete with fossils of fallen leafs scattered around the tree trunks. The clusters of petrified tree stumps were found upright in the original living positions they held during the Permian period.
