Ningxia Lingwu National Geopark

Ningxia Lingwu National Geopark

Ningxia Lingwu National Geopark is a national geopark.

Ningxia Lingwu National Geopark is located in Lingwu City in northern Ningxia, bordering Tao’le County and Ejin Horo Banner of Inner Mongolia to the north along the Great Wall. The park spans four townships and one subdistrict office, including four scenic areas—the Dinosaur Fossil Site Scenic Area, the Shuidonggou Ancient Cultural Site Scenic Area, the Changliushui Natural Ecological Scenic Area, and the Lingwu City Leisure Sightseeing Tourism Area.

This geopark is a site for geological science education, featuring dinosaur fossil sites, Shuidonggou ancient cultural sites, and the pristine natural landscapes of Changliushui, complemented by a variety of well-preserved geological relics. It boasts abundant natural resources and a rich cultural history. The discovery of dinosaur fossils in Lingwu filled a gap in Ningxia’s paleontological record and provided valuable insights into the ancient geography and climate of Ningxia and northwestern China. The Shuidonggou Ancient Cultural Site showcases the living conditions of prehistoric humans from 30,000 years ago, offering a glimpse into the Yellow River culture of the Chinese nation and serving as authentic evidence for the study of human origins and evolution. This site was designated as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the State Council in 1988 and awarded the Silver Prize among “China’s 50 Most Worth Visiting Places for Foreigners” in 2006.

The Lingwu Dinosaur Fossil Site is located in Ningdong Town, Lingwu City, approximately 50 kilometers southwest of Yinchuan City, covering an area of 16.6 square kilometers. It was discovered in 2004 by a local Hui youth. In April 2005, the first excavation was jointly conducted by the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the cultural relics department of Lingwu City. To date, there have been four excavations, with three excavation surfaces cleared and eight dinosaur fossil individuals unearthed, including skull, teeth, and scapula fossils. The preservation condition of the fossils is relatively good. One of the dinosaur fossils exhibits a high degree of skeletal articulation, accounting for 61% of a complete dinosaur skeleton. The Dinosaur Fossil Site was announced as a “Regional Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit” in June 2005 and approved as a “Provincial Geopark” in August 2006.

In August 2009, the Ministry of Land and Resources approved it as part of the fifth batch of national geoparks. The park is characterized by karst landform landscapes and tectonic geological relics, featuring numerous folds, primarily large box folds and compound folds. The karst landform landscapes in the park include canyons, caves, cliffs, isolated peaks, peak clusters, karst sinkholes, karst shafts, stone bud flats, and doline groups.

Source: Nan Yue Qing Feng Network