[Explanation] Suspected dinosaur fossils were recently discovered at the construction site of the Jinzhan Avenue project in Dongxing City, Fangchenggang, Guangxi. The expert team confirmed that the discovery was a late Jurassic dinosaur fossil.
At present, dozens of dinosaur fossil fragments have been collected and stored in a centralized manner, pending further research and identification.
On June 17, the reporter went to the construction site and saw that the site where the dinosaur fossils were found had been protected, and the construction vehicles were parked on the sidelines. It is currently in a state of suspension.
It is understood that on June 10, at the construction site of Zhanqian Road of Dongxing High-speed Railway Station, worker Li Dongsheng found an abnormality in the rock during construction. He thought of the fossils he had seen, and reported to the project owner.
According to Lu Gang, an expert from the Guangxi Regional Geological Survey, the dinosaur skeleton found here is the southernmost place where dinosaur skeleton fossils have been found in China.
[Concurrent] Lu Gang, expert of Guangxi Regional Geological Survey
According to our research, the dinosaur fossil site in Dongxing was produced in the late Jurassic. According to the country’s dinosaur fossil production site, this site is currently found in the country to produce dinosaur skeleton fossils, a site found in the southernmost part of China. The discovery of this point has high scientific research value.
[Explanation] Lu Gang introduced that the currently discovered fossils are mainly scattered in the late Jurassic strata, including the limb bones and vertebrae of dinosaurs. The specific dinosaur species need to be confirmed by further research.
The expert team stated that the Jurassic dinosaur fossils newly discovered in Dongxing City this time are older than the Cretaceous dinosaur fossils discovered earlier in Fusui County, Chongzuo City, Guangxi Province, which broadens the distribution range of dinosaur fossils in Guangxi. The study of habitat and its palaeogeography and palaeoclimate has provided new location and new data.
According to Liao Dongyang, deputy director of Dongxing Natural Resources Bureau, Dongxing will determine the next protection plan for this batch of dinosaur fossils based on the assessment of the expert group.
[Concurrent] Liao Dongyang, Deputy Director of Dongxing Natural Resources Bureau
(At that time) I immediately set up a fence and sent people to install cameras to guard a certain area. Our Bureau of Natural Resources also placed the scattered dinosaur fossils in our bureau and stored them. The next step is to actively connect with this. Dinosaur fossils, go further (research), how to protect them, and how to excavate them.
(Wang Weichen, Cao Xiaowen, He Shenya reports from Fangchenggang, Guangxi)
Editor in charge: [Liu Xian]