Hanklit – UNESCO World Heritage by the Limfjord

Hanklit – UNESCO World Heritage by the Limfjord
Experience Hanklit – Denmark's most impressive moler cliff

Hanklit in Nordmors is one of Denmark's most spectacular natural areas – and now a part of UNESCO's World Heritage.

Here the moler cliff, rising up to 60 metres, dramatically overlooks the Limfjord and reveals an almost 55 million-year-old seabed where layer upon layer of moler and volcanic ash tells the story of the development of life after the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Hanklit is not just a spectacular viewpoint. It is a world-class geological area that every year attracts nature lovers, hikers, photographers and geology enthusiasts from around the world.

Why has Hanklit been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site?

Together with Knudeklint on Fur, Hanklit forms the area known as Den Vestlige Limfjord, which has been inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List due to its outstanding geological significance.

Around 55 million years ago the area was covered by a warm sea filled with microscopic diatoms. At the same time, ash from major volcanic eruptions in the North Atlantic fell onto the seabed, where dead fish, birds, plants and insects were embedded and preserved over millions of years.

The result is one of the world's best-preserved fossil archives from the period immediately after the Earth's most recent mass extinction. More than 700 different species have been found in the moler around Hanklit, and the area offers researchers a unique opportunity to understand both evolution and past climate change.

What can you experience at Hanklit?

A visit to Hanklit offers much more than impressive geology.

You can experience:

• One of Denmark's finest views across the Limfjord.
• The characteristic folded layers of moler and volcanic ash.
• Fantastic walking routes along the cliff and through the rolling landscape.
• Sunrises and sunsets that make the area a popular destination for photographers.

The dramatic cliff constantly changes through wind and weather, making every visit a new experience.

Fossils and moler – a window into the past

Hanklit is world-renowned for its unusually well-preserved fossils. Fish, insects, birds and plants were preserved in the fine moler, which consists of microscopic diatom shells mixed with volcanic ash.

The cliff itself is protected, and fossils may therefore not be collected there. However, you are welcome to search in the moler found on the beach.

You can experience the area's geological history up close and visit the Fossil and Moler Museum, where some of the most spectacular finds are on display.

Hanklit and Knudeklint – two cliffs with world history

Although Hanklit is the largest and most prominent moler cliff in Denmark, its story is closely connected to Knudeklint on Fur.

Knudeklint displays the longest time series of moler's many layers. Together the two cliffs tell the story of a tropical sea, volcanic eruptions, climate change and the development of life over millions of years.

Experience UNESCO World Heritage by the Limfjord

A visit to Hanklit is not just a nature experience – it is a journey back to a time when life on Earth began anew.

That is why Hanklit is today recognised as part of UNESCO's World Heritage and one of the most unique places you can experience in Denmark.