Kap Kobenhavn Formation
| Kap Kobenhavn Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: Neogene | |
 An overview of the various locations of the formation, as well as the sampling process for organic material containing DNA fragments | |
| Type | Formation |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 82°52′8″N 22°40′7″W / 82.86889°N 22.66861°W |
| Country | Greenland |
The Kap Kobenhavn Formation (Cape Copenhagen Formation) is a geologic formation in Greenland. It preserves fossils dating back to the Neogene period.
Shotgun sequencing analysis of environmental DNA in samples from a 2006 expedition to the Kap Kobenhavn Formation have shown the DNA is two million years old. The DNA contains evidence of mastodon, arctic hare, black geese, poplar trees, birch trees, willow trees, avens, bilberry, horseshoe crabs, stony corals, and green algae. Scientists have reconstructed the site's average minimum temperature to be more than 10°C warmer than the present day.[1][2] The presence of the mastodon DNA shows that they ranged much further north than previously known.[3]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ Kjær, K.H.; et al. (7 December 2022). "A 2-million-year-old ecosystem in Greenland uncovered by environmental DNA" (PDF). Nature. Retrieved 4 March 2025.
- ^ "NOVA Hunt for the Oldest DNA". PBS. Retrieved 27 March 2025.
- ^ "Oldest DNA sheds light on a 2 million-year-old ecosystem that has no modern parallel". AccuWeather. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
- Various Contributors to the Paleobiology Database. "Fossilworks: Gateway to the Paleobiology Database". Archived from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
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