Country
Fossil hunting in Iceland
Iceland is built almost entirely of lava, so body fossils are rare across most of the island. One peninsula in the north breaks the rule, and it does so at a scale that matters to science worldwide.
The Tjornes peninsula, north of Husavik, holds a thick pile of Pliocene sediment laid down in shallow sea and on land. Recent dating puts the shell-bearing Barmur Group at roughly six to four million years. Coastal cliffs cut through the sequence and shells sit visible in the face.
The shells record a global event. Partway up the sequence molluscs of Pacific origin appear for the first time, which records the moment Pacific species first reached the North Atlantic.
Icelandic nature conservation law prohibits the removal of fossils from the place they are found without permission from the responsible ministry. Every Icelandic fossil site is therefore a viewing site, and the value of a specimen here lies in its position in the sequence rather than in a collector's drawer.
1 fossil site
Updated 17 September 2026
Frequently asked questions
- Can you collect fossils in Iceland?
- No. Icelandic nature conservation law forbids removing fossils from where they are found, except by express permission of the responsible ministry. You are welcome to visit, look and photograph.
- Where are Iceland's fossils?
- The Tjornes peninsula north of Husavik is the principal locality. Its Pliocene shell beds record the first arrival of Pacific molluscs in the North Atlantic, which is why the sequence is cited internationally.