Three Chinese sites join international geological heritage list

Three sites in China have been added to the International Union of Geological Sciences geological heritage list, bringing the country's total to 13. The additions, announced on 14 November, cover dinosaur fossils, an active continental fault and rocks recording processes deep within the Earth.

The Middle Jurassic dinosaur fossil site in Yunyang, Chongqing, preserves an important record of dinosaur evolution. It has yielded fossils of 11 dinosaur species and includes a large wall of Jurassic fossils preserved in place. Its value lies in the scientific record across that geological period rather than in a newly opened tourist attraction.

The Xianshuihe Fault in Sichuan lies on the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It is recognised as a natural setting for research on continental deformation, fault processes and earthquake hazards. The listing does not itself constitute an earthquake forecast or a change to a local warning.

The Triassic Dabie ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic belt in Anhui preserves evidence of rocks taken to great depth and later returned toward the surface. Researchers use it to examine subduction, exhumation and interactions between fluids and rocks, which inform understanding of plate tectonics.

The international list has been issued in batches since 2022. China previously had seven sites selected in the first group and three in the second. Geological heritage recognition concerns internationally significant features, reference locations and the history of geoscience.