Hanklit and Knudeklint
UNESCO World Heritage – The Western Limfjord
Together, Hanklit and Knudeklint form The Western Limfjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. These impressive moler cliffs are unique geological landmarks found along the Limfjord on the islands of Mors and Fur. They are internationally renowned for their distinctive layers of volcanic ash and for the exceptionally well-preserved fossils of plants and animals that lived around 55 million years ago. In July 2026, the cliff formations on both Mors and Fur were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
What is UNESCO World Heritage?
UNESCO World Heritage is a list of places considered to have Outstanding Universal Value to humanity. When a site is inscribed on the World Heritage List, it is recognised as being of exceptional importance because of its natural, cultural, historical or geological significance.
The moler cliffs of the Limfjord were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List because they preserve an extraordinary record of life on Earth millions of years ago. Here, visitors can experience layer upon layer of moler, volcanic ash and fossils, providing a rare insight into ancient ecosystems and past climates.
World Heritage status is more than an international honour. It also helps safeguard these remarkable landscapes, ensuring that future generations can continue to experience and learn from them.
Hanklit and Knudeklint – A Window into Earth's Ancient History
The cliffs at Hanklit and Knudeklint expose a seabed that is approximately 55 million years old. Over a period of nearly one and a half million years—from around 56 to 54.6 million years ago—volcanic ash settled on the seafloor together with dead birds, fish, insects and plant material.
This process occurs in oceans around the world. What makes the Western Limfjord truly exceptional is that the ancient sea here contained enormous quantities of microscopic algae known as diatoms. Their abundance created oxygen-poor conditions on the seabed, where very little life could survive. As a result, dead animals and plants remained undisturbed and were gradually sealed within layers of diatoms and volcanic ash over hundreds of thousands of years.
This fine-grained sediment is locally known as moler (pronounced MOH-ler), a unique rock formation composed primarily of fossilised diatoms mixed with volcanic ash.
These extraordinary conditions laid the foundation for one of the world's most remarkable geological archives. Millions of years later, the ancient seabed was lifted above sea level and reshaped by successive Ice Ages, creating the dramatic coastal cliffs that visitors can admire today.
Below, you can learn more about the two coastal cliffs.
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