In the nearly 4.6 billion years of Earth's history, the emergence of human beings is only a fleeting moment, and before the emergence of human beings, life has gone through several reincarnations. There is a figurative analogy, if the history of the earth is compared to a day, the earliest life was born at about 4 a.m., and it was not until 21 p.m. that life began to flourish, which is known as the "Cambrian explosion of life", and at 23:59:56, humans appeared
The scenes of the prosperity of life in different periods of history have been gradually sealed in the dirt and lost their voice by many biological mass extinction events and changes in the vicissitudes of the mulberry fields. Through hundreds of years of efforts, geologists have discovered a large number of clues left by ancient creatures - fossils, relying on the rich imagination of human beings, restoring the 500 million years of endless past since the Phansozoic. Those places where a large number of fossils of different species are piled together are called paleontological fossil groups. In this ancient land of China, many world-famous fossil groups of paleontological organisms have also been found. Next, let's take stock of China's valuable paleontological fossil groups
(Arranged in rough chronological order)
01
Urn An biota
Location: Wong'an, Guizhou
Era: Neoproterozoic Edicaran (610-560 million years)
Strata: Phosphate block rocks of the Steep Mountain Tuo Formation
Representative organisms: corals, algae, embryonic fossils
Synopsis: The Ediacaran Period is the era when life began to erupt after the "Snowball Earth" event. During this period, organisms began to evolve from primitive single-celled algae to multicellular organisms, marking that after 3 billion years of preparation, the accumulated life energy and infinite creativity of primitive life forms were about to burst out, and the history of life evolution opened a new chapter. Australia's Ediacaran biota is the most famous representative. The Wongan biota is a biota with the same name as the Ediacaran biota, and its fossil preservation and species number are no less than those of Ediacara, including a large number of multicellular algae fossils, as well as embryonic fossils of early animals, providing important embryonic evidence for the early evolution of multicellular life.
Historical past: In 1993, Yuan Xunlai, a researcher at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, first proposed the concept of "Wong'an biota" in his paper. In the following years, more paleontological researchers have successively discovered a unique batch of "sponge fossils with cellular structure and fossils of epizoan embryos" in the Wong'an biota, and the paper was published in Science and Nature, making the Wong'an biota begin to gain international influence. However, because the Yong'an biota is rich in phosphate ore, also known as the "Asian phosphorus warehouse", most of the local financial revenue comes from the development of phosphate rocks, resulting in the large-scale destruction of the Yong'an biota, a 600 million-year-old fossil treasure house, representing the origin of the explosion of life, was mined out, causing a large number of geologists to protest. After many media reports and the efforts of the Nangu Institute, the Wong'an Fauna Fossil Sanctuary was established in 2006, but it was not until 2017 that the local government really stopped mining.
Restoration map of the Wong'an biota (from fossil web)
Fossil origin of the Wong'an biota
Fossil embryos of living organisms in the Wong An biota
The oldest coral in the Urn An biota
02
Chengjiang biota
Location: Tianshan Mountain, Chengjiang, Yunnan
Era: Early Cambrian (530 million years)
Stratum: Yellow-green silt shale in the Lower Cambrian Bamboo Temple Formation Yucheng Mountain Section
Representative organisms: trilobites, odd shrimp, grotesque insects, jellyfish
Introduction: The early Cambrian period was the main period of the Cambrian explosion of life, the Cambrian explosion is a geological suspense case, the mystery of the great explosion has not yet been accurately solved. The Ediacaran biota wrote the prologue to the Cambrian explosion, and it took only 20 million years to evolve all the classes of modern biology in the early Cambrian period of the Eminentian, contrary to the progressive evolution of Darwin's theory of evolution, which added to the mystery of the Cambrian explosion.
Chengjiang biota is the main representative of this period, Chengjiang biota found a total of 16 phyla, more than 200 species fossils, including algae, sponges, coelenterates, gills, leafpods, animals, brachiopods, mollusks, arthropods, echinoderms, nematodes, archaea, hairy jaws, chordates and many other animal phylums, as well as some strange taxonomic groups with unknown taxonomic locations, relic fossils and fecal fossils. The rock layer is black, gray-black micro-horizontal stratigraphically developed mudstone sandwich thin layer to medium and thick layer of siltstone, which is gray-green and gray-yellow after weathering, of which pyrite crystals are seen, which belong to the land source clastic accumulation of shallow sea stillwater reduction environment, and is likely to be a semi-enclosed bay or distant coastal sediment. Soft parts of coelenterates such as jellyfish are difficult to fossilize, but the sand shale of Chengjiang is well preserved, with spokes, ring muscles, central cavities, and mouth structures clearly recognizable.
Restoration map of Chengjiang biota
Chengjiang Hat Tianshan Mountain
The fossil discovery point of the Chengjiang fauna
Chengjiang Paleontological Research Station
Odd shrimp restoration diagram
(Source: Paleontological restoration painter Yang Dinghua)
Trilobite (Redlichia Buddha-figure)
Fuxian Lake Worm
Jellyfish fossils
Grotesque worms, micronet worms, clawed networms
03
Carey Biota
Location: Houshan, Balang Village, Gedong Town, Jianhe County, Kaili City, Guizhou Province
Era: Early Middle Cambrian (520 million years)
Stratum: Middle Cambrian Kaili Formation shale
Representative organisms: trilobites, odd shrimp, sea urchins, Lilies of the First Sea, Narrow worms
Introduction: There are three major shale-type biota in the world's Cambrian explosion, namely the Canadian Burgess biota, the Chengjiang biota of Yunnan, China, and the Kaili biota of Guizhou, China. The Kerry biota is similar to the Chengjiang biota in terms of biological composition, and its age lies between the Chengjiang biota and the Burgess shale biota in Canada, which plays a role in biological evolution, providing important information and evidence for the evolution of early postphytes, cambrian biological explosions, correct restoration of paleogeographic plates, and biobusiness.
Recently, a 518 million-year-old Cambrian specific buried soft body fossil library was discovered in the Changyang area of Yichang, Hubei Province, which was officially named "Qingjiang Biota" in 2019, adding another significant touch to the fossil resources of the Cambrian.
Map of the Kerry Biota Restoration
Lu's China Shihai Lily
Fossil sea urchins
Narrow worms
04
Xingyi Guizhou biota
Location: LuyinShan Village, Dingxiao Town, Xingyi City, Guizhou Province
Era: Middle Triassic (245-235 million years)
Stratum: Limestone of the bamboo pole slope of the upper Franc formation of the Middle Triassic
Representative organisms: primitive finnosaurs, sea lilies, sea dragons, proto-diptera, fish
Introduction: "Guizhou Dragon Fauna", also known as "Xingyi Fauna", is dominated by Hu's Guizhou Dragon, including marine reptiles such as " " Urusurus " , " Ou Long " , " Apatosaurus " , and accompanied by a large number of fossil biota of other species ( ammonites , bivalves , brachiopods , shrimp , marine lilies and tooth-shaped stones ) . The Guizhou dragon biota was a critical period of slow recovery following the Mass Extinction of Permian organisms. Although the Guizhou dragon is called a dragon, it is not a dinosaur, and the dinosaur can climb to the "distant relative". Guizhou dragon is the earliest discovery, research and name of the Triassic marine reptile in China, and it is also the first discovery of the primitive finosaurs in Asia, which is of great significance to the evolution of marine reptiles and the study of paleogeographic distribution.
Before the Triassic, organisms have long landed on the shore, but in the Triassic there was a phenomenon of large-scale reptiles returning to the ocean, the aquatic reptiles in the Guizhou dragon fauna is the product of the second large-scale return of reptiles to the waters, and this "return to ancestors" phenomenon may be related to the special environmental conditions of the Earth's surface at that time, and may also be the combined influence of many other reasons, which is still a major unsolved mystery in the evolution of reptiles. Recently, with the introduction of the Regulations on the Protection of Paleontological Fossils, a large number of vertebrate fossils such as Guizhou dragons have been listed as national protected fossils, and private excavation and trading are prohibited, which to a certain extent makes the paleontological fossil groups protected.
Restoration map of the Guizhou dragon biota
Guizhou dragon restoration map
Guizhou dragon fossil
Fuyuan giant shin dragon
05
Guanling biota
Location: Xinpu Township, Guanling County, southwest guizhou province
Era: Late Triassic (220 million years)
Strata: Upper Triassic Small Concave Formation Limestone
Representative organisms: marine reptiles, brachiopods, marine lilies, fish, ammonites, etc
Introduction: The Guanling biota is one of the largest fossil groups in China and the world's only Triassic fossil group. Its era is in the Late Triassic, followed by the Guizhou Dragon Fossil Group, which is an important symbol of recovery to prosperity after the Permian mass extinction, and is also the peak of the phenomenon of "return to the ancestors" of ichthyosaurs, which is of great significance for the study of the recovery of Marine Life in the Triassic Period, the evolution and radiation of marine organisms, the geographical fauna of paleo-marine fauna, and the study of the paleocean marine environment.
There is also the famous Luoping biota, located in Luoping County, Yunnan Province, the era is 10-20 million years earlier than the Guanling biota, with a large number of reptiles, molluscs, crustacean fossils, is a transitional stage of Triassic biological prosperity, also has very important research significance.
Restoration map of the Guanling biota
Guanling biota address
Ichthyosaur fossils
Sea lily fossils
Ammonite fossils
06
Rehe biota
Location: Liaoning Xiyi County, Beipiao, Lingyuan and other places in China
Era: Early Cretaceous (130-120 million years)
Strata: Early Cretaceous Shihua Jiying Formation, Yixian Group and Jiufotang Formation
Representative organisms: wolffin fish, oriental leaf limb, three-tailed ephemeral ephemeral, Chinese dragon bird, Confucius bird, Liaoning ancient fruit
Introduction: The era of the Rehe biota is the most legendary era, and the Rehe biota is also known as "one of the most important paleontological discoveries in the world in the 20th century" and is a world-class fossil treasure house. The era is located in the Early Cretaceous, in the period when dinosaurs ruled the continent, where direct evidence of dinosaurs becoming birds was found, the Chinese dragon bird, the most primitive bird, the Confucius bird, and the emergence of early mammals - Zhang He beast, Rehe beast, and the earliest angiosperm - Liaoning Ancient Fruit. As a result, the biota has also received considerable international attention and has been subjected to extremely detailed paleontology and dating.
In the early Cretaceous, the northeast of North China had long been elevated to land, when the climate was humid and freshwater resources were abundant, this living environment provided excellent development space for animals, and a large number of animals and plants close to advanced modern organisms began to appear. At that time we can see dinosaurs walking through the forest, pterosaurs soaring in the sky, primitive birds trying to fly, early small mammals foraging in the grass, lakes full of fish, shrimp, insects, turtles, salamanders, a scene of life. However, the good times did not last long, and the large-scale volcanic activity of the Cretaceous period stopped all this and buried it under the volcanic ash, which allowed the fossil to be preserved intact and discovered by later generations.
Restoration map of the Rehe biota
Chinese Dragon Bird
Confucius Bird
Wolffin fossil group
Liaoning Ancient Fruit
Three-tailed ephemeral ephemera
Oriental leaf limbs
07
Shanwang biota
Location: Xiejiahe Basin in the east of Linqu County, Shandong Province
Era: Early Miocene - Early Miocene (18 million years)
Strata: The Shanwang Formation diatomite layer in the early Miocene
Representative organisms: Basalt frog, pro-celado toad, Zhongxin original salamander, Zhongxin snake, Lu blunt-kissed crocodile, Shanwang bird, Shanwang bat, diatom rat, Kong's half-bear, triangular original cham deer, stalk cup deer, rhinoceros, etc
Introduction: Since entering the Cenozoic Age, mammals have gradually occupied a major position, and 18 million years ago in Linqu County, Shandong Province, it was a lush forest with abundant water resources, a warm and humid monsoon climate, and a swamp and lake that nourished everything. Frogs, snakes, rats, fawns and other small animals live in peace here, and the vibrant ecological environment is proved by the extremely rich variety of fossils. Under the sedimentation of still water lakes, horizontal stratified diatomaceous earth has been formed, the leaves of the forest have been completely preserved, and the rich plant environment can be seen through leaf fossils, in addition to nearly 100 species of algae, 142 species of bryophytes, ferns, gymnosperms and angiosperms have been found. The variety of insect fossils is also quite rich, and according to identification, more than 400 kinds of insects have appeared. Fish also exhibit the characteristics of modern fish, mainly including two types of cyprinids and perch. Amphibian and reptile fossils are also well preserved, and frogs and snakes are also hallmarks of the Shanwang biota. The complete bird fossil resource also fills the gap in quaternary bird fossils. In the Shanwang fossil production area, you can see the complete shape of leaf fossils, fish fossils appear on the diatomaceous earth mud flakes, so the Shanwang fossil group is also known as the "fossil museum", and diatomaceous earth is also a very cherished natural resource, which can be used for agriculture, industry and other aspects.
Restoration map of the Shanwang fauna
Shanwang Museum
(Image source: Qilu Network)
Basalt frog
New snake in the mountains
Koch's ring cup deer
Fossil leaves of shanwang plants
Shanwang less scaly mandarin
Shanwanglu carp
08
and political biota
Location: Hezheng, Guanghe, Dongxiang, Linxia, Kangle, Gansu
Era: Neogene -Quaternary (15-2 million years)
Strata: Neogene laterite and Quaternary strata
Representative creatures: Shovel-toothed elephant, hezheng sheep, three-toed horse, giant hyena
Introduction: The Hezheng fauna can be divided into three different epochs: (1) the shovel-toothed elephant fauna (about 15-12 million years ago) ;(2) the three-toed horse fauna (about 10-7 million years ago) ;(3) the real horse fauna (about 2 million years ago). Fossils belong to more than 70 species of 6 orders and 70 species of reptiles and mammals. Its fossils are huge in number and variety, and have created six of the world's largest, the world's unique Hezheng sheep, the world's largest three-toed horse fossil, the world's richest shovel-toothed elephant fossil, the world's earliest woolly rhinoceros skull fossil, the world's largest real horse fossil - Esther's horse, the world's largest hyena - giant hyena. The Hezheng fauna is of great scientific significance for the study of the evolution, distribution and climate and environmental changes of biota in northwest China since the Paleogene Period.
And political biota restoration map
Hezheng National Geological Museum of Paleontological Fossils
and political sheep
(Source: Wuhan China Stone Museum)
Woolly rhinoceros
Shovel tooth elephant
Three-toed horse and restoration
The above is a list of several famous paleontological biota in China, and organisms of different eras and different environments have different biological appearances. After more than 500 million years of evolution in the Phansus, organisms have evolved, constantly looking for ways to adapt to the earth's survival, and under the competition of the food chain within the biota, they also have to deal with changes in the environment. These biota have experienced a period of great development of material abundance, and have also experienced the hardships and secretions after the disaster, and have also experienced the struggle before the mass extinction, but in the end, the creatures on the earth are progressing, life is becoming more and more advanced, the ability is getting stronger and stronger, going through detours, overcoming difficulties, until now we are. Echoing the saying in Jurassic Park, life can always find a way out.
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Editor: ZYN
Proofreader: Lee Yu-joo