Background
The Joggins Fossil Cliffs, 689 ha on the coast of Nova Scotia, have been called the coal age Galápagos for their wealth of Carboniferous fossils. UNESCO says the rocks are the world's thickest and most comprehensive record of the Pennsylvanian, 318 to 303 million years ago, with the most complete fossil record of land life from that time: the remains and tracks of very early animals and the rainforest they lived in, left in place. Along 14.7 km of cliffs, bluffs, platforms and beach lie three ecosystems, with 96 genera and 148 species of fossils.
The Mi'kmaq knew the place as Chegoggins, the place of the large fish weir. Wikipedia says the coal seams exposed on the Cumberland Basin, an arm of the Bay of Fundy, were dug by Acadians as early as 1686, that large-scale mining began in 1847, and that Joggins was a town from 1919 to 1949; old mine workings still erode out of the cliffs. The site was inscribed on 7 July 2008.
- 318–303 million years agoRainforest, floodplain and bay are buried layer on layer
- 1686Acadians dig coal from the shore
- 1847The General Mining Association begins large-scale mining
- 1919–1949Joggins is a town
- 2008Inscribed as World Heritage
Find Your Way Around
The main parts of the site, in the order most visitors see them
- 1The Cliffs14.7 km of sea cliffs, low bluffs, rock platforms and beach.
- 2Fossil Trees and TracksStanding trunks and the footprints of early animals, left in the rock.
- 3Three EcosystemsEstuarine bay, floodplain rainforest and fire-prone forested plain.
- 4The Old WorkingsMine timbers from the 1860s and 1870s eroding from the cliff.
- 5The Cumberland BasinThe Fundy inlet the cliffs face.
Know Before You Go
From Wikivoyage and the GoGo guides
Coal Age Shore
Not yet in a GoGo guide
- 10:00Joggins Fossil Cliffs3 hrsThe cliffs and beach of the Carboniferous.
Best Time to Visit
Best months: Jun–Sep. Freezing days in Dec–Mar.
Typical highs
Climate: NASA POWER
Pair It With
Other World Heritage sites nearby, by distance
