Government of NL
Discovery Geopark has become Newfoundland and Labrador’s first United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognized Global Geopark. With this distinction, Discovery Geopark becomes the fifth UNESCO Global Geopark in Canada, joining 161 other geosites to receive this recognition throughout the world.
Located on the tip of the Bonavista Peninsula, the Discovery Geopark covers approximately 280 kilometres of coastline from Southern Bay to Bonavista, with 10 developed geosites that showcase the region’s diverse geological, natural and cultural diversity. Two geosites in Port Union contain Ediacaran fossils – some nearly 600 million years old, while the geosite located at Murphy’s Cove to Lodge’s Pond Trail is where internationally renowned Haootia quadriformis was discovered. This is the first fossilized evidence of muscular tissue, and possibly the oldest animal fossil in the world. Haootia is currently on display at The Rooms provincial museum.