As part of its 60th Anniversary, The International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) published a book of the First 100 IUGS Geological Heritage Sites around the world. With contributions from over 350 experts in over 40 countries, it’s truly an international effort.
What’s more, two sites in Canada that Parks Canada administers, Gros Morne and Yoho National Parks both feature in this inaugural publication.
Gros Morne National Park
A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987, there is so much to see in this ancient and vast Canadian park. Located in Newfoundland and Labrador, it has one of the best exposures of Moho. For non-scientific folk, this is the boundary between the Earth’s crust and mantle rocks. This Moho has been preserved in a glacial landscape for visitors to see.
Along with this, there are fjords, mountains, and beaches, where you can walk along coastal pathways and beach comb too. You can also even go on a hike and view bogs, cliffs and forests. If you’re lucky you might even see natural wildlife, including moose and caribou if you happen to visit Western Brook Pond.
Burgess Shale in Yoho National Park
This park has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site for a bit longer than Gros Morne, having received this status in 1980 and then becoming part of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site in 1984. Located in British Columbia, Burgess Shale is renowned for its international historical importance as a fossil area. It also has a bountifully diverse marine community that’s full of soft-bodied organisms.
There are rock walls and waterfalls that visitors can view from varying mountainous heights. The ocean life in particular can reveal the secrets of its ancient history against the backdrop of the park’s natural wonders. You can get to view the changing seasons and how it affects the park’s natural habitat.
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With Canada making it into such a prestigious publication, it cements these two parks as international places of historical interest for anyone that wants to explore them.
Located in two different parts of Canada, it’s a great opportunity to visit these geological heritage sites whenever the opportunity arises. Surrounded by nature and away from any kind of hustle and bustle, it gives you the chance to unwind and recharge.
