| Merangin Jambi Geopark | |
|---|---|
  | |
| Location | Merangin Regency, Jambi, Indonesia |
| Nearest city | Jambi city |
| Coordinates | 2°22′24″S 101°52′26″E / 2.373374°S 101.874025°E[1] |
| Area | 4,832.31 square kilometer |
| Established | 2012 |
Merangin Jambi Geopark is a national Geopark at Merangin Regency, Jambi Province that located on Sumatra Island, Indonesia. There are three main of geological uniqueness in the Merangin Jambi Geopark (MJGp). Fossils of “Jambi Flora” represent the West Sumatra Terrane of Cathaysialand with Euramerican Flora, karst landscape represent a mesozoic era with prehistoric artefacts and Masurai Caldera represents the Quaternary volcanic.
In the Early Permian at the end of the Paleozoic glaciation, ecosystem stability and the resulting taxonomic statis that existed for plants forest in the Late Carboniferous were disturbed. Early Permian fossils collection from Merangin Jambi Geopark in Mengkarang Formation consist in Parasequences. Flora fossil Permian is composed of general ration of seed ferns flora like Pecopterids, Calamites and Cordaites, rare new Permian Flora exist like Gigantopterids. Early conifers also present in Mengkarang like Tobleria bicuspis in Merangin river.
The geological diversity in the Merangin Jambi Geopark area is also increasingly complemented by the presence of karst stretches in the Sungai Manau which have a variety of landscapes, both exokarst and endokarst. The karst is formed by limestone, this rock unit is a shallow sea exposure deposit, orientation to the southwest. It belong to Peneta Formation of the Late Jurassic Member of Mersip. The rock layers contain molluscs and small veins of quartz and calcite are visible. Merangin Jambi Geopark completed with Masurai Complex with tectonic volcanic phenomena that have caused the formation of several landscapes such as lakes, waterfalls, and hotspring manifestations that are still active process today. Caldera Masurai was formed from a large eruption on the VEI scale 6 at 33,000 years ago.
It is being proposed to become member of UNESCO Global Geopark (UGG) to be recognized UNESCO by 2023. It takes about six hours journey from Jambi City to reach the Merangin Jambi Geopark.
- ^ Coordinates from wikidata