Africa-Press – Mozambique. The Fossil Forest of Tete was declared one of The First 100 Geological Heritage Sites (‘geosites’) on Friday, 28 October.
The designation was announced by the International Union for Geological Sciences (IUGS) in Zumaia, on the Basque coast of Spain.
Located between Cahora Bassa and Mágoè in the province of Tete, in the district of the same name, the Tete Fossil Forest was selected from a universe of 181 geosites spanning 56 countries around the world.
Its designation makes it the first World Geological Heritage Site in Mozambique.
The Tete Fossil Forest has great scientific, educational and tourist potential, and is composed of well-preserved fossil trunks, some of which are unique specimens of their species.
The fossil trunks reach up to 30 metres in length, and some date from as far back as the Permian Age, about 250 million years ago.
The Mozambican candidacy was submitted by the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy, through the National Museum of Geology, in partnership with the Púnguè University, the University of the Witwatersrand of South Africa and the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain.
This unprecedented achievement puts Mozambique “on the world map”, and is expected to attract both scientific researchers and eco-tourists, thus promoting the sustainable socio-economic and cultural development of the districts where the Late Permian Tete Fossil Forest is situated, and the province and country in general.
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