Frozen in Time: Scientists Discover 45-Million-Year-Old Ancient Walnuts on Remote Arctic Island

By Makena Lang, Florida Museum of Natural History
September 9, 2024



Three new species of walnuts have been found above the Arctic Circle, remnants of a time when the North and South Poles were covered in forests. Credit: Florida Museum photo by Jeff Gage


The discovery of extinct walnuts in the Arctic suggests a warmer historical climate with dense forests, extending our knowledge of walnut evolution and geographic spread.

Scientists have discovered three new species of extinct walnuts on an island above the Arctic Circle. The fossils were discovered further north than any known walnut species, living or extinct, and represent some of the oldest-known records of this group.

A Frozen Desert with a Lush Past

Today, the Canadian island of Axel Heiberg is a frozen desert devoid of nearly all life. But 45 million years ago, it supported a lush rainforest on the shores of the Arctic Ocean. Since then, the forest has been buried first beneath layers of sediment, then accumulated ice, leaving it frozen in time.



The walnuts were brittle and broke in half easily. Credit: James Basinger


Remarkable Preservation of Fossil Forest

“When you walk into the site, the first thing you notice are these big stumps, a meter or more in diameter, and they’re still rooted in the soil that they grew in. It’s completely out of place. The closest living trees are 3,000 kilometers away,” said study co-author James Basinger, professor emeritus of geological sciences at the University of Saskatchewan.

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