Fish Fossil Site

Fish Fossil Site

The fish fossil site is a cultural relic protection unit of Liaoning Province.

The fish fossil site is located northwest of Xiaowa Tun in Daxinfangzi Village, Xiaochengzi Township, Lingyuan County, dating back to the Mesozoic era.

Since the Mesozoic era, the Lingyuan region has been influenced by the subduction of the Pacific Plate beneath the eastern China Plate, forming a series of northeast- to north-northeast-trending interlaced basin and mountain structures. Geographically, it is part of a low mountainous and hilly area, with sedimentary rocks covering 98% of the region. Mesozoic strata are extensively exposed here, boasting an exceptionally rich resource of paleontological fossils. In 1923, American geologist Amadeus Grabau named the stratum containing Lepidotes fossils in the Lingyuan area as the "Jehol Series" in his book “The Geology of China.”

The paleontological fossil resources of Lingyuan have the following characteristics:

First, wide distribution. They are spread across 11 townships, with just the Chaoyang municipal-level protected area covering 2,000 square kilometers, including a core zone of 200 square kilometers.

Second, diverse species. There are known to be over twenty categories and several hundred types. Among them are: bird fossils under national first-class protection such as Confuciusornis and the small-sized Liaoxiornis; reptile fossils of eight genera and eight species, including Hyphalosaurus lingyuanensis, Shenzhouosaurus, Sinosauropteryx, Psittacosaurus, pterosaurs, Monjurosuchus, and Manchurosuchus; mammal fossils such as Eomaia scansoria, which is under national first-class protection, and plants like Sinocarpus.

Third, high value. The paleontological fossils of Lingyuan include 10 world records. Liaoxiornis, being the oldest known bird in the world, represents an intermediate evolutionary form between primitive birds and enantiornithes, making it of great scientific research value; Hyphalosaurus lingyuanensis is one of the earliest known reptiles in freshwater lake environments in the world, providing the first evidence for the study of the evolution and diversification of aquatic reptiles; Liuichthys primaevus was discovered for the first time in the world. Other first discoveries include Liaoxi estheriids and Lingyuan arguniid bivalves. Particularly sensational was the discovery of a small feathered theropod dinosaur. A Sino-American joint scientific team once asserted that these fossils laid a solid foundation for ultimately resolving the origin of birds. The paleontological fossils of Lingyuan not only hold extremely high scientific research value but also possess significant collection and economic value.

Among them, the paleontological fossil site at Dawangzhangzi in Lingyuan has been incorporated as a branch park within the planning and construction scope of the Chaoyang Paleontological Fossil Geological Park.

On December 20, 1988, the fish fossil site was designated as part of the fourth batch of provincial-level cultural relic protection units by the People’s Government of Liaoning Province.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Liaoning Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units