West Coast Fossil Park
| West Coast Fossil Park | |
|---|---|
 Fossils in situ at the West Coast Fossil Park excavations | |
| Coordinates | 32°57′33″S 18°07′02″E / 32.9592°S 18.1172°E |
| Area | Langebaanweg, Western Cape, South Africa |
| Created | 1996 |
| www | |
The West Coast Fossil Park is a
Phosphate mining operations at Langebaanweg uncovered these rich fossil deposits. The fossils include bones of over 200 different animal species. This represents possibly the greatest diversity of five-million-year-old fossils found anywhere in the world.[3] The fossil park was formed after mining operations ceased in 1993.[4] The park is partnered with the Iziko South African Museum
.
In 1996, the former National Monuments Council declared the site a national monument.[5] With the introduction of the National Heritage Resources Act in 2000, it became a provincial heritage site and in March 2012 the provincial heritage resources authority, Heritage Western Cape significantly expanded the area that is protected.[6]
Paleobiota of the Langebaanweg fossil site
| Genus | Species | Material | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anura gen. nov.[7] | 24 ilia | A new genus of frog; also known from the Pleistocene site Cooper's Cave D | ||
|
E. hendeyi |
A wolf-sized otter, sometimes classified as Sivaoynx hendeyi |
|||
|
P. aff. monspessulanus |
A leopard-sized mustelid |
References
- ^ "West Coast Fossil Park website". Iziko Museums of Cape Town. Retrieved 2009-12-06.
- ISBN 0868130176.
- ^ Haarhoff, Pippa (2007). "The West Coast Fossil Park: Incorporating the Langebaanweg Palaeontological Site". DST Magazine. 5. Pretoria: Department of Science & Technology: 20–21. Archived from the original on 2012-02-14.
- ^ "About the West Coast Fossil Park". Iziko Museums of Cape Town. Archived from the original on 2008-04-25. Retrieved 2009-12-06.
- ^ Government Notice 17457, 4 October 1996
- ^ Provincial Notice 69/2012,Province of the Western Cape Provincial Gazette Extraordinary, No. 606, Cape Town: 23 March 2012
- S2CID 262191014.
- ^ Pickford, Martin; Soria, Dolore; Morales, Jorge (2005). "Carnivores from the Late Miocene and Basal Pliocene of the Tugen Hills, Kenya". Revista de la Sociedad Geológica de España. 18 (1–2): 39–61.
- PMID 32547866.
External links
- Official homepage
- National Heritage Resources Act 25 of 1999
- Heritage Western Cape website
- Site by West Coast Fossil Park, at SAHRA
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