75 million year old shell cemetery - Hat Noppharat Thara National Park

The 75-year-old shell cemetery is located on the coast of Ban Laem Pho in the northeast of the national park. It contains fossils of freshwater shellfish, mostly bitter snails, approximately 2 centimeters long. These shell fossils were deposited with water mixed with limestone that hardened into rocks, overlapping with layers of lignite and shale. Geological evidence suggests that the shell cemetery is approximately 40-20 million years old. There are 3 75-year-old shell cemeteries: Laem Pho 1, located to the west of the tourist service center; Laem Pho 2, located in the tourist service center; and Laem Pho 3, located approximately 1 kilometer to the east of the tourist service center. The 75-million-year-old shell cemetery was created by geological changes. In the past, this area was a large freshwater swamp, inhabited by many shellfish, most of which were bitter snails, approximately 2 centimeters long. Later, changes in the earth’s surface occurred, with seawater flowing into the swamp, causing the limestone in the seawater to coat the shells until they became a single substance. It became a hard rock called Shelly Limestone, about 40 centimeters thick. Later, the land was lifted up, resulting in a large stone platform by the sea. From geological calculations, it was found that these fossils are about 40 million years old. There are only 3 places in the world where shells are tens of millions of years old: in the United States (Chicago), Japan, and Thailand, the 75 million year shell graveyard or Laem Pho shell graveyard in Krabi province. Note: The best time to visit is in the morning from about 07.00 - 10.00 and in the evening from about 15.00 - 17.00.