Shaximiao Formation, Jurassic fossil formation in Zigong, China
The Shaximiao Formation is a Jurassic rock layer in Sichuan Province, China, made up of purple-red mudstones and siltstones with sandstone beds in between. It holds a large number of dinosaur fossils along with remains of other creatures from that period.
The formation came to light in 1972 when construction work uncovered dinosaur bones at the site. Systematic excavations in the decades that followed turned it into one of the most important vertebrate fossil sites from the Jurassic period.
The Zigong Dinosaur Museum displays numerous specimens from the formation, making paleontological discoveries accessible to researchers and visitors from around the world.
A good starting point is the Zigong Dinosaur Museum nearby, which displays finds from the site and helps visitors understand what they are looking at. It is worth checking in advance which areas are open to the public and whether guided tours are available.
In some parts of the site, nearly complete dinosaur skeletons have been found, which is unusual for fossil deposits of this type. These complete skeletons allowed researchers to reconstruct the body shape and movement of species that elsewhere are known only from fragments.
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