Bernissart (; pcd, Bernissåt) is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—al ...

located in the

province of Hainaut Hainaut (, also , , ; nl, Henegouwen ; wa, Hinnot; pcd, Hénau), historically also known as Heynowes in English, is a province of Wallonia and Belgium. To its south lies the French department of Nord, while within Belgium it borders (cloc ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

. On January 1, 2006, Bernissart had a total population of 11,458. The total area is 43.42 km², which gives a

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

of 264 inhabitants per km². The municipality consists of the following districts:

Blaton Blaton is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Bernissart located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It was formerly a separate municipality until it merged in 1977. Notable residents * Victor Martin, a Belgian Resista ...

, Bernissart, Harchies, Pommerœul, and Ville-Pommerœul.

The ''Iguanodon'' mine

In 1878, dozens of ''

Iguanodon ''Iguanodon'' ( ; meaning ' iguana-tooth'), named in 1825, is a genus of iguanodontian dinosaur. While many species have been classified in the genus ''Iguanodon'', dating from the late Jurassic Period to the early Cretaceous Period of Asia, ...

'' skeletons were discovered in a coal mine, at a depth of 322 m (1,056 ft).Norman, David B. (1985). "To Study a Dinosaur". The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: An Original and Compelling Insight into Life in the Dinosaur Kingdom. New York: Crescent Books. pp. 24–33. . At the time, their proximity was considered proof that some

dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...

s were herd animals. They were mounted by

Louis Dollo Louis Antoine Marie Joseph Dollo (Lille, 7 December 1857 – Brussels, 19 April 1931) was a Belgian palaeontologist, known for his work on dinosaurs. He also posited that evolution is not reversible, known as Dollo's law. Together with the Austria ...

and set the standard that was followed for over a century. Nine of the twenty-nine skeletons are currently on display at the

Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences The Museum of Natural Sciences of Belgium (french: Muséum des sciences naturelles de Belgique, nl, Museum voor Natuurwetenschappen van België) is a museum dedicated to natural history, located in Brussels, Belgium. The museum is a part of t ...

, and one at the Bernissart Museum. The two museums even made an error they acknowledge with humour: they displayed the skeletons "standing", suggesting that the dinosaurs were bipedal, which is not the case. Found alongside the ''Iguanodon'' skeletons were the remains of plants, fish, and other reptiles, including the crocodyliform ''

Bernissartia ''Bernissartia'' ('of Bernissart') is an extinct genus of neosuchian crocodyliform that lived in the Early Cretaceous, around 130 million years ago. At only in length, ''Bernissartia'' is one of the smallest crocodyliforms that ever lived. ...

''.Palmer, D. ed. (1999). ''The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals''. London: Marshall Editions. p. 100. . The sediments are considered to belong to the

Sainte-Barbe Clays Formation The Sainte-Barbe Clays Formation is a geological formation in Belgium. It is found in localised areas of the northern margin of the Mons Basin, alongside the equivalently aged Hautrage and Baudour Clay Formations. It is Upper Barremian-Lower Apti ...

. File:Iguanodon3 28-12-2007 14-20-18.jpg, One of the Bernissart ''Iguanodons'' on display at the

References

External links

* *
17. The Bernissart Iguanodons, 1884
. Linda Hall Library. ''Paper Dinosaurs, 1824–1969''. *
Official web site of Bernissart
{{Authority control Municipalities of Hainaut (province)