Sansan paleontological site
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| Sansan paleontological site | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: | |
 | |
| Type | Fossil site |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 43°31′28″N 0°37′20″E / 43.524315°N 0.622332°E |
| Region | Occitanie |
| Country | France |
| Type section | |
| Named by | Lartet, 1834 |
  Sansan paleontological site (France) | |
The Sansan paleontological site (locally au Campané) is a Miocene fossil deposit in Sansan, in the French department of Gers.
Searched by Edouard Lartet until 1847, it was considered useful for Science and is registered by the Inventaire national du Patrimoine Géologique (InPG) as an international-level site. It constitutes one of the most important Middle Cenozoic deposits and is well known in palaeontological circles.[1] The National Museum of Natural History bought 4 hectares (9.9 acres) of terrain in 1848[2] and oversee any research on the site since then. The research stopped in 1999. The site has been open to the public since 2018.[3]
The paleontological site is located inside the commune of Sansan, on the Campané hill at 238 m (781 ft) above sea level, in the Gers department, 16 km (9.9 mi) south of Auch. The hill and its surroundings were historically called "Camp de las hossos".[4]
Recent history
The deposits were excavated regularly from 1834 to 1999. Francis Duranthon from the Toulouse Museum and Pascal Tassy from the Paris Museum were the last researchers to have worked on Sansan, specifically on the southern flank.
Outcrops were backfilled, vegetation grew back and a paleontological trail[5] was created in 2018 by the Communauté de communes du Val de Gers. Today, research have stopped but the site is open for public access.[6] A 2.5 km (1.6 mi) trail, marked by interpretive panels, helps to teach how Edouard Lartet discovered the site and how his discovery revolutionized the scientific theories of the time and exposed the richness of its Miocene fauna and flora.
- The paleontological trail
Panel of Édouard Lartet at the beginning of the trail
The trail
Interpretive panel on the trail
Archaeobelodon skeleton near the Ferme du Campané
Amphycion skeleton
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