Stone Money Beach

　　Stone Money Beach is hidden in the most secluded part of General’s Gobi, located 5 kilometers southeast of Shuangjingzi in General’s Gobi. It is a paleontological fossil treasure trove with a 300-million-year geological evolution history. According to geological experts, over 200 types of ancient biological fossils have been found here, including various corals, brachiopods, gastropods, cephalopods, trilobites, bryozoans, and more. Among them, newly discovered species named according to international nomenclature include Stone Money Beach Blood Clam and Stone Money Beach Prickly Clam. Since 1930, geological experts and exploration personnel have repeatedly discovered and collected numerous ancient biological fossils in the Shuangjingzi area. One particularly precious fossil is a single-celled organism that once thrived abundantly during the Carboniferous to Permian periods and is considered one of the key indicators of that geological stage. This has led to the conclusion that the strata of Stone Money Beach consist of biogenic limestone and calcareous sandstone from the Middle Carboniferous Shuangjingzi Formation. Its discovery confirms the existence of Carboniferous marine strata in the General’s Gobi area, indicating the presence of rich and developable underground resource reserves.

　　The “stone money” left behind from ancient times—thin stone pieces with round outer edges and a round or square hole in the center—could easily be mistaken for ancient coins if not for their stony texture. These stone “coins” are scattered across the vast Gobi Desert, countless as the stars in the sky. In 1913, British explorer Aurel Stein, after enduring great hardships to reach this place, was amazed by the abundance of these stone coins—fossils of sea lily stems. He revealed this significant discovery to the world and named the area Stone Money Beach.