Messel pit

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It has been suggested that this article be merged with Messel Formation. (Discuss) Proposed since March 2024.

Messel Pit Fossil Site

UNESCO World Heritage Site
Location	Darmstadt-Dieburg, Hesse, Germany
Criteria	Natural: (viii)
Reference	720bis
Inscription	1995 (19th Session)
Extensions	2010
Area	42 ha (100 acres)
Buffer zone	22.5 ha (56 acres)
Coordinates	49°55′03″N 8°45′24″E / 49.9175°N 8.7567°E / 49.9175; 8.7567
Location of Messel pit in Hesse Show map of Hesse Messel pit (Germany) Show map of Germany

The Messel pit (German: Grube Messel) is a disused quarry near the village of Messel (Landkreis Darmstadt-Dieburg, Hesse) about 35 km (22 mi) southeast of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Bituminous shale was mined there. Because of its abundance of well-preserved fossils of the Messel Formation dating from the middle of the Eocene, it has significant geological and scientific importance.^[1] Over 1000 species of plants and animals have been found at the site.^[1] After almost becoming a landfill, strong local resistance eventually stopped these plans and the Messel pit was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 9 December 1995. Significant scientific discoveries about the early evolution of mammals and birds are still being made at the Messel pit, and the site has increasingly become a tourist site as well.^[1]