Zhongning Scaleless Fish

Zhongning Scaleless Fish

Introduction During the Devonian period, approximately 400 to 330 million years ago, after a long geological event known as the "Ningxia Movement," the earth's crust gradually stabilized. The tectonic framework of the Zhongning area began to take shape: the Qilian Sea Trough to the west folded to form mountain ranges, while the area around Niushou Mountain and Yantong Mountain to the east was low-lying, forming a basin surrounded by mountains. The basin was crisscrossed with rivers and dotted with lakes, where fish and spore plants began to appear.

In 1974, geologists discovered fossils of Zhongning Scaleless Fish in Shixiagou of Niushou Mountain, marking the first discovery of this genus in China and Asia. Prior to this, fossils of "Niushou Mountain Groove-scale Fish" had also been found in the area. Scaleless fish were first discovered in East Greenland (in 1931). The Zhongning Scaleless Fish fossils are not only more numerous but also more diverse than those from East Greenland, making them of greater academic value.

In the 1990s, as geological surveys deepened, geologists successively discovered multiple groups of "Zhongning Scaleless Fish" and "Niushou Mountain Groove-scale Fish" fossils in Shixiagou. The national government and the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region government placed great importance on this major discovery, allocating special funds to erect a monument in Shixiagou of Niushou Mountain. The monument bears an inscription of 12 characters written by Zhu Xun, former Minister of Geology and Mineral Resources of China: “Cherish Geological Sites, Promote Scientific Exchange.”

Zhongwei, Ningxia