ABSTRACT Anatomical analyses of fossil woods, supplemented by information from coal petrographic investigations, provide data for reconstructing the Cretaceous–Paleogene, mostly swampy woodland vegetation of the high latitudes. This paper is focused on the taxonomic description of conifers that have been recovered from a number of plant fossil Lagerstätten in Nathorstland, Yukon North Slope–western Mackenzie Delta, Ellesmere Island, northern Trolleland, and Kotel’nyi Island. The investigation revealed a relatively low taxonomic diversity. Wood-anatomical identification of Taxodioxylon vanderburghii provides evidence for the genus Metasequoia . The determination of Glyptostroboxylon cf. rudolphii demonstrates the most likely presence of Glyptostrobus , and the genus Cunninghamia is proved by the identification of Glyptostroboxylon tenerum . Moreover, this first evidence of Cunninghamia in the high latitudes establishes this plant as an “Arctic conifer.” Piceoxylon laricinoides (Høeg) comb. nov., a new combination, is proposed for a fossil wood species that represents the genus Larix . Fossils identified as Protopiceoxylon woods, Protopiceoxylon sp., and Protopiceoxylon yukonense represent the extinct gymnospermous Protopinaceae group. A fossil forest from the Split Lake Lagerstätte focusing on the habitus of in situ trunks and stumps was reconstructed. The vegetation encompasses a succession with three stages, an Equisetum reed facies, a Metasequoia swamp forest facies, and a Larix swamp forest facies. The taxonomic investigation suggests a widely distributed zone of vegetation with various conifers in the high latitudes. The lignite samples are characterized by predominantly woody (xylite) tissues with well-preserved, mummified stems and roots and a variable content of liptinite macerals, mostly resinite and suberinite. The intensive yellow fluorescent textinite of characteristic zoned structures and distinct microspores was observed in all investigated lignites.

Abstract The Canadian Arctic margin, from the Alaska/ Canada boundary north-northeastward almost 1,000 km to the north of Banks Island, represents one of the largest sedimentary wedges in the world. With primary input from the Mackenzie River, the margin appears to have all the necessary components of a “world-class” petroleum province: possibilities of structural and stratigraphic traps, multiple potential source rocks, an abundance of potential reservoirs and seals, and timely migration resulting in almost 50 hydrocarbon accumulations discovered to date. However, lack of a large enough discovery to warrant commercial production has resulted in exploration being limited only to the shallow parts of the Mackenzie River Delta (water depths <40 m). Interpretation of recent, long-offset (9 km), deep (18-sec recording), prestack-depth migrated (PSDM to 40 km) data has resulted in extending the petroleum potential to deeper waters and to areas away from the delta. Industry has recognized this potential by acquiring leases beyond the shallow waters, but the full potential of the area will only be realized by new exploratory drilling.