Fossil plant discovery has 'great significance'

Zhao said the Carboniferous Period is the most important coal formation period in China, and large coal mining provinces and regions, such as Shanxi province and Inner Mongolia, have developed thick Carboniferous coal seams.

However, coal in the central region of China is scarce, and research on the Carboniferous Period is also relatively meager. Representative locations for research on Carboniferous plants in China are mainly in Shanxi's Taiyuan and in Qingshuihe, Inner Mongolia — both located in North China, Zhao said.

Zhao said a thick layer of Carboniferous plant fossils has now been discovered in Shiyan, with continuous distribution in layers and clear top and bottom boundary lines.

"The plant fossils present in it have been preliminarily observed and confirmed to be part of a highly diverse ancient plant community and the first discovery in Hubei province," Zhao said. "It is of great significance for promoting research on Carboniferous paleontology and science education in Hubei."