One of the many Edicaran biota fossils within the bounds of Nilpena Ediacara National Park, which is now open in South Australia. Credit: National Parks and Wildlife Service South Australia, Video: Department for Environment and Water

Environment Australia17. May 2023

550-Million-Year-Old Fossils Get the Protection They Need

The world’s newest national park located in South Australia will protect 550-million-year-old fossils.

“There are just beds and beds of it [fossils] – that’s what makes this site so unique. We can show a chronological timeline of the dawn of animal life. That’s quite a statement,” says Cecilia Woolword, who leads the community group supporting the World Heritage nomination for the region.

The Nilpena Ediacara National Park opened to the public a few short weeks ago and protects 148,000 acres of land. The Australian government is trying to receive a UNESCO world heritage designation for the area as it holds great cultural significance and history. It is also considered to be the only place on planet Earth where scientists have the ability to observe a near-continuous geological record spanning the course of 350 million years.

Source:
Smithsonian Magazine

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