A park filled with TONS of fossils in BC just got a fancy designation

BC has a vast amount of natural beauty and now a park that’s filled with fossils has just been given a fancy designation.

The federal government announced on Friday that six Canadian sites were named to an international list of the first 100 geological heritage sites.

“This new international designation acknowledges iconic locations around the world, recognized for their relevance and impact in understanding the Earth and its history,” the government said in a news release.

The six Canadian spots among the first 100 geological heritage locations include five World Heritage sites, two of which are administered by Parks Canada.

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BC’s very own Burgess Shale, part of Yoho National Park near Field, made the cut as it is one of the most significant fossil areas in the world.

“Featuring a diverse, abundant marine community dominated by soft-bodied organisms,” Parks Canada wrote.

The Burgess Shale was originally inscribed as a World Heritage site in 1980 and then became one of the larger Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage sites in 1984.

burgess-shale.rom.on.ca/

The park sits close to the Alberta border and is nestled in the Rocky Mountains, it is about a seven-hour drive from Kamloops and is among the lead destinations for fossil discovery and education.

Burgess Shale

The list of geological heritage sites is the initiative of the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Other spots in Canada to be named a geological heritage spot included Alberta’s Dinosaur Provincial Park, thanks to the greatest concentration of Late Cretaceous dinosaur fossils found on Earth yielding remains of 44 species of dinosaurs and many other organisms.

The park was first inscribed as a World Heritage site in 1979.

 

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Also on the list were Joggins Fossil Cliffs in Nova Scotia and Gros Morne National Park and Mistaken Point, both in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The first 100 IUGS geological heritage sites were selected among 181 applications from 56 countries, and include different types of sites and geological interests, with additional spots expected to be added in the future.