Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve

This article is about the protected area on the headland. For the headland itself, see Mistaken Point, Newfoundland and Labrador.
Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve
IUCN category II (national park)
Map showing the location of Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve
Map showing the location of Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve
Location Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Nearest city St. John's
Coordinates 46°37′55″N 53°11′25″W / 46.63194°N 53.19028°W / 46.63194; -53.19028Coordinates: 46°37′55″N 53°11′25″W / 46.63194°N 53.19028°W / 46.63194; -53.19028
Area 5.7 km2 (2.2 sq mi)
Established 1984 (1984)
Governing body Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Environment and Conservation
Official name Mistaken Point
Type Natural
Criteria viii
Designated 2016 (40th session)
Reference no. 1497
State Party Canada
Region Europe and North America

Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve is a wilderness area located at the southeastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada which contains the Mistaken Point Formation, the site of Ediacaran fossils representing the oldest multicellular life on Earth.[1]

A fossil found in Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve

The first fossil to be found in the area, Fractofusus misrai, was discovered in June 1967 by Shiva Balak Misra, an Indian graduate student studying geology at Memorial University of Newfoundland.[2] The reserve was first established provisionally by the provincial government in 1984 and was permanently designated in 1987. It was later expanded in 2009 after further fossil discoveries.[1]

The fossil sites along the shore within the reserve were inscribed to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list on July 17, 2016.[3][4]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve". NL Department of Environment and Conservation. Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  2. ↑ BBC News (18 September 2007). "Rare honour for Indian geologist". BBC South Asia. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
  3. ↑ "Mistaken Point". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  4. ↑ MacEachern, Daniel. "Newfoundland's Mistaken Point named UNESCO World Heritage site". CBC News. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
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