Axel Heiberg Island
Axel Heiberg Island (Inuktitut: ᐅᒥᖕᒪᑦ ᓄᓈᑦ, Umingmat Nunaat) is an uninhabited island in the Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. Located in the Arctic Ocean, it is the 32nd largest island in the world and Canada's seventh largest island. According to Statistics Canada, it has an area of 43,178 km2 (16,671 sq mi). It is named after Axel Heiberg.
Native name: ᐅᒥᖕᒪᑦ ᓄᓈᑦ | |
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Shaded relief map of Axel Heiberg Island. Note that the colours are indicative of elevation, not foliage or ground cover. | |
Location of Axel Heiberg Island | |
Axel Heiberg Axel Heiberg | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Arctic Ocean |
| Coordinates | 79°45′N 091°00′W |
| Archipelago | Sverdrup Islands Queen Elizabeth Islands Arctic Archipelago |
| Area | 43,178 km2 (16,671 sq mi) |
| Area rank | 32nd |
| Length | 371 km (230.5 mi) |
| Width | 220–246 km (137–153 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 2,210 m (7250 ft) |
| Highest point | Outlook Peak |
| Administration | |
Canada | |
| Territory | Nunavut |
| Region | Qikiqtaaluk |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0 |
One of the larger members of the Arctic Archipelago, it is also a member of the Sverdrup Islands and Queen Elizabeth Islands. It is known for its unusual fossil forests, which date from the Eocene period. Owing to the lack of mineralization in many of the forest specimens, the traditional characterization of "fossilisation" fails for these forests and "mummification" may be a clearer description. The fossil records provide strong evidence that the Axel Heiberg forest was a high-latitude wetland forest. A holotype of the ammonite Otoceras gracile was found in the Griesbachian (Early Triassic) deposits of this island.