Ischigualasto / Talampaya Natural Parks

Map

The Fossil-Rich Landscape of Ischigualasto / Talampaya Natural Parks

The Ischigualasto / Talampaya Natural Parks, located in the arid region bordering the Sierra Pampeanas of central Argentina, offer a unique glimpse into Earth's ancient history. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000, these two adjacent parks span over 275,300 hectares, with Ischigualasto Provincial Park occupying 60,370 hectares alone.

More to come…

UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

These two contiguous parks, extending over 275,300 ha in the desert region on the western border of the Sierra Pampeanas of central Argentina, contain the most complete continental fossil record known from the Triassic Period (245-208 million years ago). Six geological formations in the parks contain fossils of a wide range of ancestors of mammals, dinosaurs and plants revealing the evolution of vertebrates and the nature of palaeo-environments in the Triassic Period.

UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site

Criterion (viii): The site contains a complete sequence of fossiliferous continental sediments representing the entire Triassic Period (45 million years) of geological history. No other place in the world has a fossil record comparable to that of Ischigualasto-Talampaya which reveals the evolution of vertebrate life and the nature of palaeoenvironments in the Triassic Period.

Encyclopedia Record: Ischigualasto Provincial Park

Ischigualasto Provincial Park, also called Valle de la Luna, due to its moon-like appearance, is a provincial protected area in the north-east of San Juan Province, north-western Argentina, limiting to the north with the Talampaya National Park, in La Rioja Province. Both areas belong to the same geological formation, the Ischigualasto Formation . Established on 3 November 1971, the park has an area of 60,370 ha.

Read more on Wikipedia