Jurassic

Jurassic Museum of Asturias

18 Km by car 20 minutes by car Interest Area

In a privileged place on the coast, 155 meters above the sea level, it stands the Jurassic Museum of Asturias (MUJA), a unique museum which embrace one of the most comprehensive and didactic samples of the world about these fascinating reptiles.

The MUJA is able to show the evolution of life on Earth from its beginnings, with particular emphasis on the Mesozoic or Age of Dinosaurs and its three periods: Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous.

This museum is really spectacular, not only the continent but also the content. Its architect, Rufino Uribelarrea, chose for the outside a system of precast concrete plates leaving the blind facade, except for entry and exit doors. The old roof is copper, which over time will acquire a green tint fully integrated into the landscape.

Inside, a wooden structure from Scandinavian forests form a network of arches that simulate the ribs of dinosaurs and offer visitors the almost magical feeling of time travel . Besides, the building environment multiplies the possibilities of enjoyment. Privileged views on the Asturian coast, playground and gardens which allow walks among dinosaur replicas, without forgetting the MUJA Cafe, make a visit to the museum a unique experience.

Jurassic route on beach La Griega

16 Km by car 20 minutes by car Interest Area

Begins in the explanatory panel located on the right bank of the estuary, after passing the bridge that crosses the estuary, near the campsite. From here, it continues towards the cliff of the eastern part of the beach. About 500 meters of the explanatory panel, on the surface of a loose block of red sandstone, appear two protrusions corresponding to a handprint and a footprint of a quadruped dinosaur. Continuing another 150 m along the edge of the cliff you reach a layer of sandstone gently sloping to the sea whose surface is crossed by joints (cracks of tectonic origin) in various directions.

Less than a meter above, we can find a gray limestone containing fossils of tiny gastropods and several large depressions showing a peripheral edge bulging. It is a large quadruped dinosaur footprints (sauropods) who were traveling on a coastal lagoon. Given its size, they can be considered among the largest dinosaur in the world; their poor condition hinders a detailed observation of them. Apart from that you can see a trail of 6 tracks belonging to a sauropod although smaller than the previous one.

On the same surface other footprints appear, in this case kittiwakes, forming a trail belonging to bipedal dinosaurs, although they are more difficult to identify. The distance between the explanatory panel and the end of the route is approximately 600 meters.