Geology of Greenland

3.8 billion years ago, Greenland was situated in the southern hemisphere. Through the next many millions of years the continent wandered north, across the Equator, before it reached its current position.

The exhibit shows glimpses of the geological history of Greenland. From microscopic traces of life in 3.8 billion year-old rocks from Isua and 518 million year-old fossils of some of the earliest multi-cellular organisms from the Sirius Pass. 360 million years ago, the first tetrapods climbed ashore in East Greenland and dinosaurs ran across widespread deserts 210 million years ago. When the dinosaurs became extinct 65 million years ago, volcanoes and subtropical swamps existed in West Greenland. The story ends 2.2 million years ago when fossil tree-trunks tell about a warmer climate, just before the ice covered everything.

One of the showpieces of the exhibition - the 180 cm long bivalve Inoceramus (Sphenoceramus) steenstrupi.