The transnational Novohrad-Nogriid Geopark situated in Northern Hungary and Southern
Slovakia has several important Neogene fossil sites developed for geotourism. One
of them is the lower Miocene paleontological locality complex at Ipolytarnoc, which
has been well known since the middle of the 19th century. The site is the main geotouristic
gateway to the geopark, where high-tech interpretation resources explain the geological
background and fossil resources to visitors, like the rich shark-tooth-bearing intertidal
sandstone, the terrestrial sandstone and rhyolite tuff containing a petrified forest
and leaves, and the great number of animal tracks in a relatively small area. Since
2015, the authors have identified several thousand footprints and body impressions,
including new fish, amphibian, reptile, bird, and mammal ichnotaxa, among others.
Re-interpretation of the paleohabitats identifies interfingering terrestrial (Rhinoland)
and intertidal pool (Crocodilia) landscapes. Similar track assemblages of similar
age indicate intensive tectonic uplift and fluviatile-lacustrine sediment accumulations
in the Western, Central and Eastern Paratethys forced by Neogene African plate movements.
