Excavation of Rare Dinosaur Egg Fossils
A massive flood in a mountainous county in Hubei Province, China, inadvertently washed away soil from Mount Qinglong, revealing an astonishing sight: unusual white and lightweight oval stones strewn across the landscape.
Unknowingly, local farmer Chu Tianyi collected these stones and brought them home. However, he soon forgot about them.
In 1996, a year later, a trader from Henan Province visited Chu's village to purchase oranges. His truck became stuck in a mud hole, and Chu remembered the strange stones. He retrieved them and placed them under the tires, unaware of their true value.
However, the trader recognized the stones' rarity and stole a few. He later returned to the village, this time with the intention of purchasing the stones, and negotiated a price of 70 cents per piece.
News of Chu's profitable sale spread quickly, prompting villagers to search for more stones. A local official alerted the Cultural Relics Department of the strange findings.
专家王正华 conducts site investigations. (Image: Sohu)
Expert Wang Zhenghua of the Cultural Relics Bureau was alerted and visited the site. Trained eyes discern the stones as dinosaur egg fossils, deciphering the hidden treasure under the farmer's nose.
Archaeological Confirmation and Global Significance
A subsequent archaeological excavation uncovered evidence of numerous dinosaur nests, composed of reddish-brown mudstone, surrounded by countless eggshells. The discovery sent shockwaves through the scientific world.
The fossils were identified as belonging to the Hugeng Formation of the late Cretaceous period (67-135 million years ago). Archaeological surveys revealed an astounding 4.2-square-kilometer area containing these fossils, representing the densest concentration, greatest diversity, and largest quantity of dinosaur egg fossils ever found in China at the time.
Three fossilized skeletons of the Ornithopod dinosaur were discovered 55 kilometers from Mount Qinglong in late July 1997, further solidifying the area's significance as the world's only known site with both dinosaur egg and bone fossils.
Conservation and Protection
The discovery of this national treasure sparked rampant black market trade, with fossil eggs fetching thousands of dollars each. To curb rampant fossil extraction, the Hubei government established the Qinglong Mountain Dinosaur Fossil Nature Reserve, erecting fences around the protected areas.
The Qinglong Mountain Reserve boasts diverse geological formations, including steep mountain peaks, waterfalls, unique flora, and caves. It is home to over 2,000 dinosaur egg fossils, a rare and unparalleled concentration globally.
Museum and Education
To educate the public about the preservation of this heritage, the local government invested 50 million yuan to construct a 1,200-square-meter Dinosaur Museum near Mount Qinglong. The museum presents the captivating story of dinosaurs and aims to raise awareness of the urgent need to combat fossil theft.
Chinese experts continue to search for additional dinosaur-related fossils in the area, adding to the invaluable trove of knowledge about these prehistoric giants.