Lingwu Dinosaur Fossil Site

　　The Lingwu Dinosaur Fossil Cluster Site is situated 1 kilometer south of Ciyipu Coal Mine in Ningdong Town, approximately 70 kilometers southeast of Yinchuan City. Between April 2005 and November 2006, the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Lingwu Cultural Relics Management Office conducted four excavations, clearing three excavation faces and uncovering eight dinosaur individuals. Authenticated by renowned international dinosaur expert Xu Xing, the Lingwu dinosaur fossils belong to a rare branch of sauropods—Dicraeosauridae. These Lingwu dinosaurs were large, new sauropod herbivores from the Middle Jurassic period of the Mesozoic era, dating back approximately 160 million years. This discovery marks the first finding of a diplodocid dinosaur north of the equator, earning it the title of “the First Dinosaur of the Northern Hemisphere,” and classifying it as a national treasure-level fossil.

　　Based on the currently excavated dinosaur fossils, the Lingwu dinosaur is one of the largest known species among sauropods in China, with some measurements surpassing all previously known specimens. The Lingwu Dinosaur Fossil Cluster is the largest, most concentrated, and best-preserved dinosaur fossil site discovered in China to date, with its surrounding environment remaining undisturbed. It holds significant importance for research on sauropod dinosaur morphology, taxonomy, and systematic evolution. The Lingwu dinosaur fossils also provide valuable physical evidence and key scientific insights into prehistoric ecological landscapes, dinosaur species reproduction, migration, extinction, and the theory of continental drift.

　　Currently, the dinosaur fossil site is enclosed and protected within an area of 90,000 square meters. The exhibition hall displays a reconstructed dinosaur skeleton model measuring 22 meters in length and 10 meters in height, along with dinosaur eggs, scale fish (Lepidotus), Qianlong (a type of aquatic reptile), a skull of Chilotherium (a large-lipped rhinoceros), turtles, and other animal fossils. The Lingwu Dinosaur Fossil Cluster Site has been designated by the People’s Government of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region as a key provincial cultural relic protection unit and a regional geological park.

　　(No images available at present; contributions are welcome.)