Heritage with Related Tags
Wadi Al-Hitan (Whale Valley)
Wadi Al-Hitan, the Whale Valley in Egypt's Western Desert, contains priceless fossil remains of the earliest, now extinct whale suborder Archaeoceti. These fossils represent one of the main stories of evolution: the evolution of whales from land animals to marine mammals. This is the most important site in the world showing this stage of evolution. It gives a vivid picture of the form and life of these whales during the transition. The number, concentration and quality of such fossils here are unique, and they are easy to find and located in a beautiful and protected environment. The fossils at Al-Hitan show the youngest Archaeoceti, which are in the final stages of losing their hind limbs. Other fossil material at the site allows one to reconstruct the surrounding environment and ecological conditions at the time.
Desembarco del Granma National Park
The Sambaco del Granma National Park, with its uplifted marine terraces and associated continuously evolving karst topography and features, is a globally significant example of geomorphic and physiographic features and ongoing geological processes. Located in and around Cabo Cruz in southeastern Cuba, the area includes spectacular terraces and cliffs, as well as some of the most pristine and impressive coastal cliffs on the western Atlantic coast.
High Coast / Kvarken Archipelago
The Kvarken Archipelago (Finland) and the High Coast (Sweden) are located in the Gulf of Bothnia, a northern extension of the Baltic Sea. The 5,600 islands of the Kvarken Archipelago feature distinctive ridged washboard moraines, the "De Geer Moraine", formed by the melting of the continental ice sheet between 10,000 and 24,000 years ago. The archipelago has been rising from the sea in a process of rapid glacial isostatic uplift, where land previously depressed by the weight of glaciers has risen at the highest rate in the world. As a result, islands have emerged and connected, peninsulas have expanded, and lakes have evolved from bays into marshes and peat bogs. The High Coast has also been greatly affected by the combined processes of glaciation, glacial retreat, and the emergence of new land from the sea. Since the last retreat of glaciers from the High Coast 9,600 years ago, uplift has reached 285 meters, the highest known "rebound". The site provides an excellent opportunity to understand important processes that form glacial and terrestrial uplift zones on the Earth's surface.