UNESCO Names Joggins Fossil Cliffs a World Heritage Site

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has added the Joggins Fossil Cliffs of Nova Scotia, Canada, to its World Heritage list on July 7. The Joggins Fossil Cliffs are among the richest caches of prehistoric fossils in the world. Fossils dating from 300-350 million years ago are thickly distributed through the Joggins Fossil Cliffs.

The Joggins Fossil Cliffs were officially nominated for inclusion as a UNESCO World Heritage site in January of 2007 and UNESCO officials visited in October of that year to view them. The UNESCO team evaluated the Joggins Fossil Cliffs to review not only the site itself, but also current management practices and potential threats to the Nova Scotia landmark.

Formation of the Joggins Fossil Cliffs

The Joggins Fossil Cliffs were formed during a time when the area was covered by great thick forests. It was the abundance of plant life during this period of the Earth's history, known as the Coal Age, which produced the planet's vast coal deposits from the peat that collected under the great swamps of the time. Indeed surface coal deposits can still be seen at the Joggins Fossil Cliffs. Trees and other plants from this time are preserved as fossils in the Joggins Fossil Cliffs, locked upright in the cliff faces, just where they stood over 300 million years ago. In fact, many of the fossilized footprints, plants and animal remains are preserved in the locations where they once lived. Most of the fossils at the Joggins Fossil Cliffs have not been removed to the sterility of a museum showroom, but remain where they became trapped long ago. Animals in their dens with footprints and trees all fossilized together present a unique view of the environment in which these ancient creatures once lived.

The constant wave and tidal action of the Bay of Fundy wears away the cliff face, exposing new fossils continuously. Many of the fossils represent creatures that have been found nowhere else in the world. One of the Joggins Fossil Cliffs most important fossil discoveries was Hylonomus lyelli, the predecessor of all the dinosaurs and one of the first permanent land-dwelling animals.

Discovering the Joggins Fossil Cliffs

The name Joggins is believed to be adapted from the word, chegoggins, meaning the great encampment in the language of the M'ikmaq Indians who first discovered the site. Now recognized as a World Natural Heritage Site by UNESCO, the Joggins Fossil Cliffs are destined to be discovered by many more as a place of beauty, wonder, and unique scientific importance.

Sources: http://www.jogginsfossilcliffs.com/