EXPLORE CANADA’S MIGUASHA NATIONAL PARK with this slideshow, check the location map and get all the facts and information below.

Miguasha National Park
Miguasha National Park

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Location and Values: Miguasha National Park is a small park in Quebec, which includes a short stretch of coastal cliffs and beach on the Gaspe peninsula. It is considered to be the world’s most outstanding fossil site covering the Devonian Period (the ‘Age of Fishes’ from about 370 million years ago), with some 13,000 specimens discovered, many of which are exceptionally well preserved.

Conservation Status and Prospects. According to IUCN’s recent Conservation Outlook Assessment the conservation status of this site is ‘good’. The IUCN report notes that ‘the conservation outlook for the Miguasha National Park is good and presents no cause for concern. The current state of the geological values and attributes of the property is good and the trend is stable. New fossil discoveries are being made as a result of continuing field investigation, and an active research program is yielding new insights into the evolution of fishes and amphibians in Devonian times. The property is essentially secure and there are no significant threats to its outstanding universal values or attributes. The current protection and management regime is very competent and effective.’

Links:
Google Earth
Official UNESCO Site Details
IUCN Conservation Outlook
UNEP-WCMC Site Description

Slideshow description

The photos in this slideshow are intended to ‘tell the story’ of the Miguasha National Park and the remarkable discoveries that have been made there. They show the main features of the cliffs and coastal environment and the variety of fossil (fragments) that might be encountered during a walk along the coast below the cliffs (which are in a state of constant flux as loose material falls onto the beach below). The slideshow includes some of the key exhibits in the excellent interpretation centre, providing a sound understanding of the significance of the site.

This page of the website is still under development and a more detailed description of the various aspects of the site will be included in due course – so please come back again soon!

Factfile

Website Category: The Fossil Record

Area: 1 km2

Inscribed: 1999

Criteria:

  • Fossil record (viii)

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