Newfoundland fossil trove wins bid to become UNESCO World Heritage Site
MISTAKEN POINT, N.L. — A rocky stretch of coastline along the southeastern tip of Newfoundland that holds secrets about the origins of complex life has been declared a world heritage site by the United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture.
Mistaken Point, so-named for its frequent disorienting fog, is home to the oldest-known evidence of early multicellular creatures.
The 565-million-year-old sea floor is embedded with the remains of ancient fossils, slowly exposed by the pounding Atlantic surf. Preserved in time by repeated volcanic ash-falls, the fossils include some of the earliest animal-like creatures ever discovered — a rare glimpse into what it was like “when life got big.”
The decision was announced in Istanbul after a hurried review by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee on Sunday. The annual meeting had been cut short by a coup attempt in Turkey less than 48 hours earlier, forcing the committee to fast-track its agenda.