Designations

The IUGS Executive Committee has ratified the First 100 IUGS Geological Heritage Sites as the first and inspiring step towards a wider program that will give recognition to those geological sites of the highest scientific importance of the World.

The First 100 are distributed in 56 countries.

IUGS Geological Heritage Sites

001

History of geosciences

Siccar point Hutton’s Unconformity

UNITED KINGDOM

002

History of geosciences

The Quaternary Phlegrean Fields volcanic complex

ITALY

003

History of geosciences

Mohorovičić discontinuity at Gros Morne National Park

CANADA

004

History of geosciences, Volcanology

The Holocene Puy-de-Dôme and Petit-Puy-de-Dôme volcanoes

FRANCE

005

History of geosciences

The Paleocene volcanic rocks of the Giant’s Causeway and Causeway Coast

UNITED KINGDOM

006

History of geosciences

Funafuti Atoll

TUVALU

007

History of geosciences

Capelinhos volcano

PORTUGAL

008

History of geosciences

Taburiente volcanic Caldera in La Palma Island

SPAIN

009

History of geosciences

Quaternary glacial varves of Ragunda

SWEDEN

010

History of geosciences

Genbudo Cave

JAPAN

011

History of geosciences

GSSP for the Silurian-Devonian boundary at Klonk Hill

CZECH REPUBLIC

012

Stratigraphy and sedimentology

Archean Barberton Greenstone Belt

SOUTH AFRICA

013

Stratigraphy and sedimentology

Paleoproterozoic Banded Iron Formation of the Quadrilátero Ferrífero

BRAZIL

014

Stratigraphy and sedimentology

Glacial record of the Marinoan snowball Earth

NAMIBIA

015

Stratigraphy and sedimentology

The Cambrian Explosion in Sirius Passet

GREENLAND

016

Stratigraphy and sedimentology

The Great Unconformity at Grand Canyon

USA

017

Stratigraphy and sedimentology

The Ordovician rocks of Mount Everest

CHINA AND NEPAL

018

Stratigraphy and sedimentology

Permian – Triassic great extinction and GSSPs of Meishan

CHINA

019

Stratigraphy and sedimentology

Carboniferous – Triassic Unconformity in Telheiro

PORTUGAL

020

Stratigraphy and sedimentology

Cretaceous to Paleogene stratigraphic section of Bottaccione Gorge, Gubbio

ITALY

021

Stratigraphy and sedimentology

Cretaceous – Paleogene transition at Seymour (Marambio) Island

ANTARCTICA

022

Stratigraphy and sedimentology

Cretaceous – Paleogene stratigraphic section of Zumaia

SPAIN

023

Stratigraphy and sedimentology

GSSP of the Meghalayan Stage in the Mawmluh Cave

INDIA

024

Paleontology

Ediacaran fossil site of Mistaken Point

CANADA

025

Paleontology

Ediacaran fossils in the Ediacara Hills, Flinders Ranges

AUSTRALIA

026

Paleontology

Cambrian Chengjiang Fossil Site and Lagerstätte

CHINA

027

Paleontology

Burgess Shale Cambrian Palaeontological Record

CANADA

028

Paleontology

Ordovician Fezouata Shale fossil site at Jbel Tizagzaouine

MOROCCO

029

Paleontology

Middle Ordovician Giant trilobites of Canelas Quarry

PORTUGAL

030

Paleontology

Devonian Tetrapod Trackways of Holy Cross mountains

POLAND

031

Paleontology

“Coal Age” Joggins Fossil Cliffs

CANADA

032

Paleontology

Late Permian Tete Fossil Forest

MOZAMBIQUE

033

Paleontology

The Ammonite Slab of Digne – les – Bains

FRANCE

034

Paleontology

Jurassic Solnhofen – Eichstätt Archaeopteryx serial site

GERMANY

035

Paleontology

Marine Reptile Lagerstätte from the Lower Cretaceous of the Ricaurte Alto

COLOMBIA

036

Paleontology

Dinosaur Provincial Park

CANADA

037

Paleontology

Late Cretaceous rudist bivalves of the Caribbean Province

JAMAICA

038

Paleontology

Eocene paleontological record of Messel Pit Fossil site

GERMANY

039

Paleontology

Miocene primates Paleontological site of Napak

UGANDA

040

Paleontology

Lesvos Early Miocene Petrified Forest

GREECE

041

Paleontology

Palaeoanthropological sites of Human Evolution of Laetoli – Olduvai Gorge

TANZANIA

042

Paleontology

Late Quaternary Asphalt Seeps and Paleontological site of La Brea Tar Pits

USA

043

Igneous and Metamorphic petrology

Archean Zircons of Erawondoo Hill

AUSTRALIA

044

Igneous and Metamorphic petrology

The Hadean to Eoarchean Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt

CANADA

045

Igneous and Metamorphic petrology

Archean Rocks of the Eastern Beartooth Mountains

USA

046

Igneous and Metamorphic petrology

The Stillwater Complex

USA

047

Igneous and Metamorphic petrology

Early Cretaceous Rhyolitic Columnar Rock Formation of Hong Kong

CHINA

048

Igneous and Metamorphic petrology

Richat Structure, a Cretaceous Alkaline Complex

MAURITANIA

049

Igneous and Metamorphic petrology

The Miocene Torres del Paine Intrusive Complex

CHILE

050

Igneous and Metamorphic petrology

Mount Kinabalu Neogene Granite

MALAYSIA

051

Volcanology

The Danakil Rift depression and its volcanism

ETHIOPIA AND ERITREA

052

Volcanology

The Quaternary Cameroon Volcano

CAMEROON

053

Volcanology

The historic scoria cone of the Jabal Qidr

SAUDI ARABIA

054

Volcanology

The Pleistocene Kilimanjaro Volcano

TANZANIA

055

Volcanology

The Holocene Ulmen maar

GERMANY

056

Volcanology

The 1905 – 1911 Matavanu volcanic eruption

SAMOA

057

Volcanology

The active Yasur – Yenkahe volcanic complex

VANUATU

058

Volcanology

La Isla de Ometepe Quaternary volcanoes in the Lake Nicaragua

NICARAGUA

059

Volcanology

The Poás Volcano

COSTA RICA

060

Volcanology

The Nevado del Ruiz Quaternary Volcanic Complex

COLOMBIA

061

Volcanology

The cotacachi – Cuicocha volcanic complex

ECUADOR

062

Volcanology

The Quaternary Santorini Caldera

GREECE

063

Volcanology

The vapor phase ignimbrites of Sillar in the Añashuayco Quarries of Arequipa

PERU

064

Volcanology

The Calicanto pyroclastic succession of the 1600 CE Huaynaputina eruption

PERU

065

Volcanology

The Miocene Cappadocian Ignimbrites sequence

TURKEY

066

Volcanology

El Tatio geothermal field

CHILE

067

Volcanology

The Yellowstone volcanic and hydrothermal system

USA

068

Tectonics

Ynys Llanddwyn late Neoproterozoic – Cambrian Mélange

UNITED KINGDOM

069

Tectonics

Namakdan Salt Cave

IRAN

070

Tectonics

The Moine Thrust Zone

UNITED KINGDOM

071

Tectonics

Upper Jurassic ophiolitic sequence in La Désirade Island

FRANCE

072

Tectonics

The South Tibetan Detachment System in the Rongbuk Valley

CHINA

073

Tectonics

Northern Snake Range metamorphic core complex

USA

074

Tectonics

Nojima Fault

JAPAN

075

Mineralogy

Tsumeb Ore Deposit

NAMIBIA

076

Mineralogy

The giant mercury deposit of the Almadén syncline

SPAIN

077

Mineralogy

Deposits of amethysts of los catalanes gemological district

URUGUAY

078

Geomorphology and active geological processes

Uluru inselberg

AUSTRALIA

079

Geomorphology and active geological processes

The Sugar Loaf monolith of Rio de Janeiro

BRAZIL

080

Geomorphology and active geological processes

Shilin Karst

CHINA

081

Geomorphology and active geological processes

Tsingy of Bemaraha

MADAGASCAR

082

Geomorphology and active geological processes

La Puerta del Diablo inverted relief

EL SALVADOR

083

Geomorphology and active geological processes

Quaternary interglacial coral and marine uplifted terraces of Maisí

CUBA

084

Geomorphology and active geological processes

The Grand Canyon

USA

085

Geomorphology and active geological processes

Iguazú / Iguaçu waterfalls

ARGENTINA AND BRAZIL

086

Geomorphology and active geological processes

Mosi-oa-Tunya / Victoria Falls

ZAMBIA AND ZIMBABWE

087

Geomorphology and active geological processes

Dry Falls and the Channeled Scabland

USA

088

Geomorphology and active geological processes

Jutulhogget Canyon

NORWAY

089

Geomorphology and active geological processes

Perito Moreno Glacier

ARGENTINA

090

Geomorphology and active geological processes

Rockglaciers of the Engadine

SWITZERLAND

091

Geomorphology and active geological processes

The Okavango Delta

BOTSWANA

092

Geomorphology and active geological processes

Yardang (Kalut) in the Lut Desert

IRAN

093

Geomorphology and active geological processes

Namib Sand Sea

NAMIBIA

094

Stratigraphy and sedimentology

Bilutu megadunes and lakes in the Badain Jaran Desert

CHINA

095

Geomorphology and active geological processes

Vajont landslide

ITALY

096

Geomorphology and active geological processes

Pamukkale Travertines

TURKEY

097

Geomorphology and active geological processes

Puquios of the Llamara salt flat

CHILE

098

Geomorphology and active geological processes

Škocjan Caves in the Classical Karst

SLOVENIA

099

Geomorphology and active geological processes

Sac actun underwater cave system

MEXICO

100

Impact structures and extraterrestrial rocks