When it comes to the geographical environment of Hotan, people often first think of desert, Gobi, drought, water shortage... But in fact, the entire Xinjiang including Hotan was once a sea in ancient times, and experienced a long period of geological movement and climate. Changes have formed today's topography.
Xinjiang retains many relics of the marine period, one of which is Shell Mountain in Sangzhu Town, Pishan County, Hotan Prefecture.
Various types of fossils are distributed in the rock formations of Shell Mountain, and there are also scattered distribution on the surface. The fossils are mainly marine fossils such as shells.
According to reports, Xinjiang used to be an ocean as early as the Permian period, and there were many marine creatures living there. With the uplift of the Himalayas, the sea receded and became land.
And shellfish have better fossil formation conditions, they are deposited in the limestone strata to form fossils during the geological movement.
The discovery of the fossil sites in Sangzhu Shell Mountain is a testimony to the vicissitudes of life in Hotan, Xinjiang, and it also provides valuable information for the study of natural environment such as climate and geology in ancient Hotan.
(produced by Sui Zhiyuan and Wang Chao)
Responsible editor: [He Sanli]