Background
At the south-eastern tip of Newfoundland, a narrow 17 km strip of rugged cliffs of deep marine origin dates to the Ediacaran, 580 to 560 million years ago, and holds the oldest known assemblages of large fossils anywhere. UNESCO says they illustrate a watershed in the history of life: the appearance of large, complex organisms after almost three billion years of microbes.
The headland was named by sailors who mistook it for Cape Race in the fog and ran onto the rocks. The first fossil, Fractofusus misrai, was found in June 1967 by Shiva Balak Misra, a graduate student at Memorial University; a 5 km stretch became a reserve in 1987, extended in 2009. Wikivoyage says the reserve is 2.5 km down the Cape Race road from Portugal Cove South, closed to vehicles, bikes and horses, and that the fossils can only be seen on a guided tour of three and a half to four hours.
- 580–560 million years agoLarge soft-bodied organisms are buried on a deep sea floor
- 1967Shiva Balak Misra finds the first fossil
- 1987The reserve is made permanent
- 2009Extended after new discoveries
- 2016Inscribed as World Heritage
Find Your Way Around
The main parts of the site, in the order most visitors see them
- 1The Fossil SurfacesBedding planes crowded with Ediacaran organisms.
- 2FractofususThe spindle-shaped fossil named for its discoverer.
- 3The Cape Race RoadThe gravel road along the headland from Portugal Cove South.
- 4The Irish LoopThe coastal drive from St John's that reaches Trepassey and the reserve.
Know Before You Go
From Wikivoyage and the GoGo guides
The Oldest Fossils
Not yet in a GoGo guide
- 10:00Mistaken Point Guided Tour4 hrsFrom Portugal Cove South to the fossil surfaces.
Best Time to Visit
Best months: Aug. Freezing days in Dec–Apr.
Typical highs
Climate: NASA POWER