Dinosaur fossils discovered in China's Yunnan

A worker works at a locality where dinosaur fossils have been discovered in Lufeng City of Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Dec. 28, 2022. (Xinhua/Chen Xinbo)

KUNMING, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- Dinosaur fossils have been discovered in nine localities in southwest China's Yunnan Province since the end of 2020, the information office of the Yunnan government said Wednesday.

An emergency excavation of these dinosaur fossils will soon be undertaken by the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The fossils, located in the city of Lufeng, Wuding County, and Shuangbai County of Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, respectively, are buried shallowly and the shapes of the bones can be easily recognized, said Chen Jun, deputy director of the provincial department of natural resources, adding that some fossils have been exposed to the surface due to rain.

A preliminary survey showed that one set of dinosaur fossils in Shuangbai County dates back to the middle and late Jurassic periods, while the others are from the early Jurassic period.

More than 410 sets of dinosaur fossils have been unearthed in Chuxiong since 1938.

Workers work at a locality where dinosaur fossils have been discovered in Lufeng City of Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Dec. 28, 2022. (Xinhua/Chen Xinbo)

Dinosaur fossils are excavated at a locality in Lufeng City of Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Dec. 28, 2022. (Xinhua/Chen Xinbo)

This photo taken on Dec. 28, 2022 shows a view of the Lufeng Dinosaur Fossil Quarry in Lufeng City of Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Xinhua/Chen Xinbo)

Workers work at a locality where dinosaur fossils have been discovered in Lufeng City of Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Dec. 28, 2022. (Xinhua/Chen Xinbo)

A worker works at a locality where dinosaur fossils have been discovered in Lufeng City of Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Dec. 28, 2022. (Xinhua/Chen Xinbo)

This photo taken on Dec. 28, 2022 shows a view of the Lufeng Dinosaur Fossil Quarry in Lufeng City of Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Xinhua/Chen Xinbo)

This aerial photo taken on Dec. 28, 2022 shows a locality where dinosaur fossils have been discovered in Lufeng City of Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Xinhua/Chen Xinbo)

This photo taken on Dec. 28, 2022 shows a view of the Lufeng Dinosaur Fossil Quarry in Lufeng City of Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Xinhua/Chen Xinbo)

Workers work at a locality where dinosaur fossils have been discovered in Lufeng City of Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Dec. 28, 2022. (Xinhua/Chen Xinbo)