Miguasha National Park
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
| Criteria | Natural: viii |
| Reference | 686 |
| Inscription | 1999 (23rd Session) |
Miguasha National Park (French: Parc national Miguasha) is near Carleton on the Gaspé Peninsula of Québec. Created in 1985 by the Government of Québec, Miguasha was designated a World Heritage Site in 1999 in recognition of its wealth of fossils which fill a crucial gap in the theory of the evolution of life on Earth. It is a provincial park, and despite its name, is not part of the country's national park system, nor administered by Parks Canada. Other names for this site are the Miguasha Fossil Site, the Bay of Escuminac Fossil Site, the Upper Devonian Escuminac Formation, and the Hugh-Miller Cliffs.
Physical description
The coastal cliffs are made up of grey rock sediment (composed of alternating layers of sandstone and silt) around 350-375 million years old. The area supports mainly birch, aspen and fir forests. Some of the fish, fauna and spores found at Miguasha are rare and ancient species. For example, Spermasposita, is thought to be one of the oldest flowering species of plant on earth.
Palaeontological Significance
Miguasha National Park is considered to be the world's greatest palaeontological record of fossils from the Devonian Period known as the 'Age of Fishes'. Five of the six main fossil fish groups from this period (dating from 370 million years) can be found here. A great quantity of some of the best-preserved fossil specimens of lobe-finned fish, ancestors to the tetrapods, believed to be the first four-legged, air-breathing terrestrial vertebrates, were found here.
History
This historic site was established as a conservation park in 1985. It was declared a World Heritage Site in 1999. The fossil site was first discovered in 1842, by Abraham Gesner (1797-1864), a geologist and medical doctor, and a founder of the petroleum industry. In 1842, Abraham Gesner found a vast array of important fossils, which were handed over to the British Museum, the London Scottish Museum, in Edinburgh; these discoveries caused great excitement throughout the world. There was a rumour in the 1970s, that Americans interests were seeking to purchase the land containing the fossil deposits. The Quebec government blocked this possible privatization by purchasing a large tract of the land to preserve the fossils and important paleontological value of the area, declaring it a provincial (in Que. "national") park. The peripheral area is owned by ~100 people who limit development, protecting this important site. To date, over 5,000 fossils have been identified, categorized and computerized at this one site.