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Fossil hunting in Norway

Norway runs from Ordovician shale on a commuter railway line to Paleogene plant beds at 78 degrees north. Slemmestad sits half an hour from Oslo. Longyearbreen on Svalbard is a walk up-valley from Longyearbyen, the world's northernmost town of any size.

Slemmestad in Asker is a former cement works on the Oslo fjord. Cambrian, Ordovician and Silurian shales in the old quarries yield trilobites, orthocones and gastropods. The Geologisenteret and its Trilobox exhibition stand on the site, so the interpretation and the outcrop are in the same place.

Svalbard is governed differently. Inside national parks and nature reserves, fossils must not be removed and are protected from all damage. Longyearbreen lies in Nordenskiold Land outside those areas, which is why the moraine below the glacier remains a practical locality for Paleogene plant fossils. Nordenskiold Land National Park was merged into Van Mijenfjorden National Park in 2021.

New environmental regulations for Svalbard took effect on 1 January 2025. Check the current rules with the Governor of Svalbard rather than with a tour operator. Section 39 of the same Svalbard Environmental Protection Act protects all human traces from before 1946. That part is a cultural heritage rule and not a fossil rule.

2 fossil sites

Updated 11 September 2026

Frequently asked questions

Can you collect fossils on Svalbard?
Not in national parks or nature reserves, where fossils must not be removed. Longyearbreen sits outside those protected areas in Nordenskiold Land, so collecting there is not caught by that prohibition. New environmental regulations took effect on 1 January 2025, so confirm the position with the Governor of Svalbard.
Where can you find trilobites near Oslo?
Slemmestad in Asker, about half an hour from the city by bus or boat. Cambrian to Silurian shales in the shore and roadside outcrops produce trilobites, orthocones and gastropods, and the Geologisenteret exhibition is in the village.