More than 4,300 dinosaur footprints found in Xuanhua, Hebei
The exposed area and the number of footprints are the first in the country
Guangming Daily, Zhangjiakou, July 12 (Reporters Geng Jiankuo and Chen Yuanqiu)A few days ago, Xuanhua District, Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province held a special report on the dinosaur footprint fossil group, reporting the situation of the large dinosaur footprint fossil group discovered by Hebei geologists in Xuanhua. In April 2020, a large dinosaur footprint fossil group was discovered in the southern part of Xuanhua District. The Hebei Provincial Department of Natural Resources immediately organized experts to conduct on-site verification and reported it to the Ministry of Natural Resources in a timely manner. At the same time, the protection and investigation and evaluation of paleontological fossils in this area were strengthened. After more than two years of hard work, the Xuanhua Dinosaur Footprint Group has discovered a total of more than 9,000 square meters of exposed dinosaur footprints, more than 4,300 dinosaur footprints, and more than 70 dinosaur tracks, ranking first in the country in terms of exposed area and number of footprints. It is preliminarily determined that these footprints come from 4 kinds of dinosaurs, one of which is a newly discovered dinosaur named Asiasaurus Wang.
Dinosaur footprints (the upper left is sauropod footprints; the rest are theropod footprints) Photo by Jia Bin / Bright Pictures
“More than 4,300 dinosaur footprints have been found within a single fossil site of more than 9,000 square meters, which is not only the largest single site and the largest number of dinosaur footprints found in China,” said Li Jianjun, a researcher at the Beijing Museum of Natural History. The dinosaur footprint site is located in Sichuan Province, covering an area of about 9,000 square meters and containing more than 900 dinosaur fossil footprints. In contrast, the density of dinosaur footprint fossils in Xuanhua is evident.
It is understood that this dinosaur footprint fossil site is located on a hillside in Xuanhua District. The geological survey results of the geological age of the site show that the rock layers where these dinosaur footprints are located are 150 million years old. Li Jianjun speculated that the site where the footprints were found used to have large forests and water sources more than 100 million years ago, so a large number of herbivorous and carnivorous dinosaurs gathered here, and these intact dinosaur footprints are useful for studying the correlation of paleontological communities and other sciences Questions are extremely valuable.
“So far, we have discovered four different species of dinosaur footprints, namely the brontosaurus footprints of sauropods, and the unspecified footprints of rock footed dragons, Xi’s Angelosaurus footprints and Wang’s Asiasaurus footprints. Among them, the footprints of Asiasaurus Wang belong to the newly discovered species of dinosaur footprints.” Sun Xiao, chief engineer of the Hebei Regional Geological Survey, who participated in the whole process of the paleontology project survey, introduced. Most of the sauropod dinosaur footprints discovered this time were left by herbivorous dinosaurs. The longest footprint was more than 70 centimeters in length. Experts deduce that it could be more than 15 meters long. The largest theropod dinosaur found has a footprint of 37.5 centimeters, and experts infer that its body length can reach 4 to 5 meters.
The release of the research results of dinosaur footprints in the Xuanhua area is a microcosm of the continuous progress made in the research on dinosaur relics in Hebei in recent years. In recent years, new dinosaur fossils and dinosaur footprints have been discovered in Zhangjiakou and Chengde areas in northern Hebei Province. “Hundreds of millions of years ago, the Zhangjiakou and Chengde areas used to be a paradise for frequent dinosaur activities.” Sun Xiao said.
“The Xuanhua dinosaur footprint group belongs to the era from the Jurassic to the Cretaceous about 150 million years ago. It is quite different from the Yanliao biota and the Jehol biota in terms of time and biological assemblage. This footprint group fills the ‘blank area’ between the two major Mesozoic biomes in Yanliao and Jehol, and is of great value in studying the relationship between the two biomes and other scientific issues.” Related Expert evaluation said.
“A remarkable feature of the Xuanhua dinosaur footprint group discovered this time is that the dinosaur footprints coexist with a large number of petrified wood.” Sun Xiao said. Silicified wood is a fossil wood formed by petrification of trees that were buried deep in the ground for various reasons hundreds of millions of years ago. Because of its high content of silica, it is named silicified wood. Silicified wood is an important basis for the study of paleogeography and paleoclimate evolution in the Mesozoic geological period. In fact, the discovery of the Xuanhua dinosaur footprint group is also inextricably linked with petrified wood. In April 2020, the paleontological fossil team of Hebei Regional Geological Survey discovered these dinosaur footprints during the research on petrified wood in Xuanhua area.
Since 2005, Hebei Regional Geological Survey Institute, under the coordination and support of relevant departments, has completed more than 30 paleontological fossil resources survey, evaluation, protection and utilization projects. In 2015, Hebei Province completed the province’s paleontological fossil protection plan, and the Rehe biota in northern Hebei will be fully protected.
“At present, the Hebei Regional Geological Survey Institute has carried out 3D image collection and footprint casting of the Xuanhua dinosaur footprint group, and has carried out soil covering protection for the site footprint.” The relevant person in charge of the Mineral Resources Protection and Supervision Office of the Hebei Provincial Department of Natural Resources said. In the future, it will actively seek policy support, coordinate local governments and relevant departments, further strengthen scientific planning, do a good job in the development, utilization and protection of dinosaur footprint fossils, and promote the inheritance of natural heritage and the development of ecological and cultural industries.
“Guangming Daily” (July 13, 2022 08 edition)
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责编：董大正 ]