 PALEONTOLOGY
At the Paleontological Museum ‘Egidio Feruglio’, of the city of Trelew (the MEF), the history of natural life may be visited, from the first micro-organisms until the birth of the human race, highlighting the surprising presence of the dinosaurs that inhabited the Argentine Patagonia, more than 65 million years ago.
The exhibition tour lasts one hour. Once ended, one may visit the technicians working at the Laboratory, and then enjoy the offers of the Dino Shop and the Dino Bar.
The MEF offers a special program for children between the ages of 6 and 12. These ‘Explorers in pajamas’ are offered the possibility of discovering the fascinating world of paleontology, and when the mission is accomplished, to sleep with the dinosaurs! The program offers games and educational activities, a tour of the museum by torch light, and much more.
Another proposal, over a cup of coffee and with various scientific matters giving rise to a debate, is to participate at the MEF of a ‘Scientific Coffee Break’, where an informal chat is maintained between the scientists and the public in general, on various issues such as the latest findings in the laboratory, in the field, or within the Museum, which with a lively debate, its consequences and free expression, result in a truly multimedia experience.
Natural Paleo-Reserves
At 23 km from Trelew, the ‘Bryn Gwyn’ Geological Park is located. Touring this park represents a trip of 40 million years into the past. During the three hours required to tour this park, we are going back 40 million years. Towards the south, at 14 km from Trelew, at the Campo Las Bardas [Field of Stone Fences], we find a natural reserve where 35 km of internal trails were opened through rough terrain, eroded with deep gullies and uneven slopes. There one may see abundant marine and mineral fossils along its total extension, that date from the Superior Oligocene series (Tertiary), up to the Pleistocene (Quaternary) period, thereby covering an approximate span of 35 million years.
The ‘Florentino Ameghino’ Petrified Forest
From Trelew, and walking in the footsteps of Ameghino, we reach the Petrified Forest. This is a full-day tour, covering 500 million years of natural history, in search of fossils, that resulted in so many sleepless nights of the naturalists, Florentino and Carlos Ameghino. 100 kilometers from Trelew, on the Patagonian plateau, arriving at the shores of an ancient sea, now extinct, it is possible to see fossilized remains of gigantic trees, that were swept millions of years ago, by who knows what natural forces, to form the Petrified Forest. The paleontologist guide, will lead you on this trip to the remote past of the Patagonia, teaching you how to reach each profile, each fossilized rock and tree trunk, a part of the natural history of this paleontological landscape. The tour continues up to Villa del Dique, [The Dam Villa], of the same name.
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