Three sites make geological heritage list

Three locations in China have recently been included in the list of "The Second 100 IUGS Geological Heritage Sites" by the International Union of Geological Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Sciences said on Tuesday.

During the 37th International Geological Congress held on Aug 27 in Busan, the Republic of Korea, Guilin Karst in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, the Permian vegetation of the Wuda Fossil Site in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, and the Dashanpu Middle Jurassic Dinosaur Fossils Site in Sichuan province were included in the list by the IUGS.

The IUGS said a Geological Heritage Site is a significant location with exceptional geological features and of utmost scientific importance. These sites serve as global references and have made substantial contributions to the advancement of geological sciences throughout history.

Being included on this list signifies that these locations possess the highest research value and scientific level in the field of geology globally. Furthermore, their current preservation status has garnered high recognition from the international community, said Zhang Jianping, vice-chair of the International Commission on Geoheritage, and professor at China University of Geosciences (Beijing).

The first list of IUGS Geological Heritage Sites was disclosed in Spain in 2022, with China securing seven such sites, making it one of the countries with the highest number of sites selected in the round.

Among these sites are the Ordovician rocks of Qomolangma — also known as Mount Everest — in the Xizang autonomous region, the Early Cretaceous Rhyolitic Columnar Rock Formation of Hong Kong, and the Shilin Karst in Yunnan province.

"The Permian vegetation of the Wuda Fossil Site is actually an in-situ forest that formed the No 7 coal seam in the Wuda Coalfield. Therefore, it is the best answer to the public about what plants formed coal, what the appearance of the forest that formed coal was like, and it is the best popular science material on the formation process of coal resources," said Wang Jun, director of the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Wang said that the unique formation method allows the site to vividly reproduce the magnificent landscape of the terrestrial ecosystem present approximately 298 million years ago.

From October to December last year and July to August this year, the team from the NIGP went to Wuda for several fossil relocation and protection tasks. Currently, the local government is also promoting construction of the "Plant Pompeii City" museum.

"The fossil discovery site is located in the Wuda Coalfield, where many coal mining companies are still in operation. Therefore, the focus of the next step is on how to balance mineral development with fossil protection, as well as how to protect fossils during the production process," Wang said, adding that experts and local governments will continue to discuss and formulate reasonable and scientific protection measures that are in line with the actual situation.