(Dahe Bao, Dahe client reporter Fang Linlubin correspondent Yao Zhaohui Wentu) On the bank of the Yellow River, Rencun Shanghe, Nancun Township, Shichi County, Sanmenxia City. This obscure village in western Henan has become a hot land for geologists and paleontologists in the past 100 years.
Local excavations have unearthed a large number of fossils of higher primate mammals, including fossils of Akebonos, Fossils of the Yellow River Monkey of si's, fossils of new species of Rencun Monkey and new species of Rencun Monkey, as well as fossils of other mammals. Many scientists say that the discovery of Akebono fossils has great academic value and significance for the study of the evolution of primates, the origin of apes and their evolution to humans, providing important evidence for the origin of apes in Asia, and negating the view that some scientists have proposed that apes originated in Africa.
Replay: The Great River Newspaper once revealed the fossil discovery of the Akebono ape on the pond
On April 19, 2017, Dahe Daily, with the title of "Unveiling the Secret of Akebono Fossils", devoted three full-page pages to a detailed report on the past history and significance of the discovery of Akebono fossils in Shichi County, Sanmenxia City, and the world's first map of the restoration of Akebonos.
On April 19, 2017, the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Sanmenxia Municipal Government jointly erected a site protection monument at the Shanghe Shu Ape Site. On the same day, the Henan Shichi Workstation of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences was established in Nancun Township, which marked a new stage of development for the protection, utilization and research of the Shanghe Shu Ape Site.
Progress: 2 fossil sites, more than 1,000 fossils have been excavated
In order to rescue the precious mammal fossil resources of the Shanghe Shu Ape Site in Shichi and understand the distribution of fossils, on March 24, 2018, the "Eocene Mammal Fossils and Rescue excavation projects in the Shanghe River of Shichi" was approved by the Department of Land and Resources of Henan Province. Since July 28 this year, the Henan Provincial Geological Museum has sent an exploration team to conduct preliminary exploration of the Shu Ape site on the Upper River of Shichi. The reporter learned that as of now, 2 fossil points have been excavated at the site, and more than 1,000 precious fossils such as rhinos, crocodiles, tapirs, and various algae have been found.
"The total area of the Akebono ruins is about 1,000 acres, and at present, only 60 or 70 square meters have been excavated, and a large number of fossils have been excavated, and basically every pickaxe has been found." Yang Shuochao, head of the office of the Henan Shichi Workstation of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told reporters that since the initial exploration, a total of more than 1,000 precious fossils of rhinos, crocodiles, tapirs and other animals have been found, including teeth fossils.
"The fossils of rhinos, crocodiles and other animals found are not the same as the rhinos and crocodiles in the existing world, after all, they existed tens of millions of years ago, but the specific differences need to be further studied." Yang Shuochao said that due to the large amount of fossils, everyone was extra careful when excavating, and the stones should be broken small. Some of the precious fossils are also firmly sealed with plaster and await further identification after being transported.
Expert: "Significant implications for Eocene fauna studies"
On August 31, Xu Li, director of the Henan Geological Museum, meng jin of the American Museum of Natural History, and others came to the Shanghe Shu Ape Site to inspect the newly discovered fossil points and guide the identification and separation of stratigraphic rock fossils. The discovery of such a rich amount of fossils in the local area has also amazed experts.
"This has an important impact on the study of Eocene fauna in Henan and even the whole country, and also lays a solid foundation for the construction of the 'Yellow River Underwater Museum' in the future." Jia Songhai, director of the Paleontological Fossil Research Office of the Geological Museum of Henan Province and the person in charge of the preliminary exploration project of the Shanghe Shu ape fossil site, told reporters that the local area is located in the Shichi-Yuanqu Basin, which is an important part of the paleontological fossil site group in the Shuchi-Yuanqu Basin. According to its analysis, the local fossils are rich in content, but they are relatively scattered, and no overall fossils have been found, which may be the sedimentation of rivers and lakes.
At present, the preliminary investigation of the Akebono Ruins on the Upper River of Shichi is still continuing, and experts have also called for further increase in the protection and utilization of the Akebono Ruins on the Upper River of The Pond.
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The site of the Shanghe Akebono in Shichi County belongs to the late Ephemerocene, dating back to about 45 million years. The site is located in Shanghe Village, Beiren Village, Nancun Township, Shichi County, close to the Yellow River, with beautiful scenery. The site covers an area of about 667,000 square meters and is the only place where fossils of Akebono were found in Henan Province.
The Shanghe Shu Ape Site is an important part of the Paleontological Fossil Site Group in the Shuichi-Yuanqu Basin, which is the site of the first discovery of the Paleogene strata and Eocene mammals in China. It was first discovered in June 1916 by the Swedish geologist Anderson. Over the past hundred years, Chinese and foreign scientists have excavated and studied here and achieved a number of major paleontological research results. According to the identification of Chinese and foreign scientists, the fossils of akebono found here negate the view that some scientists proposed that apes originated in Africa, and push forward the time of ape emergence by 10 million years, and are also one of the internationally recognized origins of human distant ancestors.
On April 19, 2017, the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Sanmenxia Municipal Government jointly erected a site protection monument at the Shanghe Shu Ape Site. On the same day, the Henan Shichi Workstation of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences was established in Nancun Township. (Edited by Ji Xiaoping)