A trilobite fossil dating back 400 million years was recently
discovered in Yuntai Mountain Global Geopark, in Central China's Henan Province.
Local geologist Yang Shouzhen said the trilobite fossil of the
post-Cambrian period is of vital scientific significance,
especially for research into the evolution of biota and geological
landforms in Xiuwu, the county where the geopark is located.
Local government sources said the trilobite fossil was found by
a local villager engaged in road repairs, who then sent it to the
geological museum of Yuntai Mountain Geopark.
Inspired by the park's inclusion in the first batch of global
geoparks by the UNESCO in 2004, the local government has made great
efforts to protect geological relics and places of historic
interest, and popularize the concept of protection among local
residents as well as visitors.
A geological museum that cost over 4 million yuan has been set
up inside the geopark; more than 20 typical geological relics have
been illustrated with eye-catching signboards that provide detailed
geological descriptions; related information about geological and
cultural relics have also been disseminated among residents through
videos, pictures and booklets.
As a result, those residing within the geopark have easy access
to related geological information, thus raising their awareness of
the importance of preservation.
Government statistics reveal that more than 20 samples and
fossils of geological relics, including bryozoan fossils and
bioturbate limestones, have been found by locals in the past two
years.
Its extremely rich geological heritage makes Yuntai Mountain
very valuable for scientific research and geo-tourism. To keep the
primeval landform and topography intact, the geopark's
administrative committee has extensively reforested the cultivated
land.
The geopark has introduced the advanced technology of
water-force spray seeding to green up the mountain landscape along
the park roads. Great care has also been taken to protect and
enlarge the population of rare animal species in the area, such as
the Taihang macaque and the leopard.
The county of Xiuwu, where the geopark is situated, earned the
title of "the ancient county of millenary" by the place terminology
expert panel of UNESCO's Chinese branch recently, and has witnessed
a boom in its tourism sector.
According to the local government, the significant role of
Yuntai Mountain Geopark in energizing the local economy has been
incorporated into a compulsory geological textbook for high
schools.
(China Daily April 27, 2007)