Basic Geological Survey Project in Karst Areas Helping the Construction of Leye-Fengshan UNESCO Global Geopark Museum

On May 9, 2022, the Institute of Karst Geology, CGS and the International Research Centre on Karst (IRCK) under the auspices of UNESCO handed over a donation of more than 40 paleontological fossil specimens to Leye-Fengshan UNESCO Global Geopark Museum.

The paleontological fossils were collected by the project team of “Basic Geological Survey Project in Karst Areas”. They were discovered amid the regional geological survey along the new western land-sea corridor of “Huangtong-Baise Railway”. The fossils were formed in the Permian and Triassic periods around 200-300 million years ago, including corals, sponges, ammonoids, bivalves, crinoids, dragonflies, ancient plants, etc., which are well preserved and of exquisite quality. The stratums they belong toare the same as that of the main park of Leye-Fengshan UNESCO Global Geopark. When the project team learned that the museum of the geopark was in urgent need of relevant fossil specimens, it leveraged its expertise and organized systematic collection, preliminary identification, and scientific numbering.

Leye-Fengshan UNESCO Global Geopark Museum is an epitome of the geological evolution and development of the Youjiang River Basin. It serves as a lively lecture for popularizing geological, ecological, biological, humanistic, and folklore knowledge as well as an important placeo fappealing to patriotism. The discovery and donation of these fossils is of great scientific research value to the study of the geological tectonic history and the mechanism of synergistic evolution of life and environment in Leye-Fengshan UNESCO Global Geopark.Meanwhile, it greatly enriches the collection of the museum, which will strongly improve the popularity and reputation. This, in turn, will better the functions of tourism in sightseeing, scientific research and study, and exploration of mystery.