It could be said that a few thousand years and the Red Deer River are responsible for this site. Over time the river relentlessly carved a deep, wide valley in the soft sandstone and clay of the area, eventually exposing what had been lying buried for several tens of millions of years. What had been lying buried were dinosaur remains by the thousands, patiently waiting to resurface.
On August 12, 1884 Joseph Burr Tyrrell, a member of the Geological Survey of Canada discovered a 70 million year old dinosaur skull near this area, the first to be discovered in western Canada. The skull was from
Albertosaurus sarcophagus (“Flesh-eating lizard from Alberta”). In his honour was named the
Royal Tyrrell Museum, which is located about 170 km. northwest by road, just outside
Drumheller, Alberta.
Established on June 27, 1955 as part of Alberta's 50th Jubilee Year,
Dinosaur Provincial Park is 73.29 square kilometres (28.30 sq mi) in size, stretching along the Red Deer River valley north east of
Brooks, Alberta. The park became a UNESCO World Heritage Site on October 26, 1979, and not solely because it was the
richest fossil site in the world. It was also recognized as a significant badlands area and for the unique
riparian habitat the area possessed. This habitat hosts many mammal and amphibious species not found elsewhere in Canada.
Statement of Significance
Dinosaur Provincial Park contains some of the most important fossil specimens discovered from the "Age of Dinosaurs" period of Earth's history. The property is unmatched in terms of the number and variety of high quality specimens, over 60 of which represent more than 45 genera and 14 families of dinosaurs, which date back 75-77 million years. The park contains exceptional riparian habitat features as well as "badlands" of outstanding aesthetic value.
Criterion (vii): Dinosaur Provincial Park is an outstanding example of major geological processes and fluvial erosion patterns in semi-arid steppes. These "badlands" stretch along 24 kilometers of high quality and virtually undisturbed riparian habitat, presenting a landscape of stark, but exceptional natural beauty.
Criterion (viii): The property is outstanding in the number and variety of high quality specimens representing every known group of Cretaceous dinosaurs. The diversity affords excellent opportunities for paleontology that is both comparative and chronological. Over 300 specimens from the Oldman Formation in the park including more than 150 complete skeletons now reside in more than 30 major museums.
Read more at UNESCO