HERITAGE RECORD · 720

Messel Pit Fossil Site

麦塞尔化石遗址

The official record, selection criteria and sourced cultural context.

World Heritage record

Messel Pit is the richest site in the world for understanding the living environment of the Eocene, between 57 million and 36 million years ago. In particular, it provides unique information about the early stages of the evolution of mammals and includes exceptionally well-preserved mammal fossils, ranging from fully articulated skeletons to the contents of stomachs of animals of this period.

Open the official UNESCO record ↗

Wikidata reference

QIDQ639217 ↗

Area42 ha

Administrative areaQ7916

Named afterQ7386758

WikipediaMessel Pit ↗

Chinese Wikipedia梅塞尔坑 ↗

Imported locally from Wikidata; it does not replace the UNESCO record or editorial copy.

Selection criteria

This property was inscribed under the following World Heritage Convention criteria.

(viii)An outstanding record of Earth’s history, geological processes or significant landforms.

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