Tracksite of Birds and Dinosaurs in Gajin-ri, Jinju

The Tracksite of Birds and Dinosaurs in Gajin-ri, Jinju is a fossil site discovered at the construction site of the new building of the Gyeongnam Institute of Science Education, where footprints of shorebirds, dinosaurs and pterosaurs from the Cretaceous period, about 100 million years ago, were found mixed together — an occurrence extremely rare anywhere in the world. The area where the fossils were found was originally a hill about 55 m above sea level; while the ground was being excavated to a depth of about 35 m for the new building, fossils were discovered within the rock, and a full excavation followed. The excavation, carried out across five areas, recovered 2,500 sandpiper and plover footprints, 80 dinosaur footprints, 20 pterosaur footprints, and 365 bird footprint fossils measuring 30 × 40 cm. Mudcracks, formed when the surface of the ground dried and split like a tortoise shell, and ripple marks were also found. The discovery of both bird footprint fossils and dinosaur footprint fossils at the same site is an extremely rare case worldwide, and the Tracksite of Birds and Dinosaurs in Gajin-ri, Jinju is like a natural history museum vividly showing the ecosystem of about 100 million years ago. It is therefore important material for research into palaeoenvironments, Mesozoic bird studies and geological history. ※ The name was changed from "Jinju Gajin-ri Bird and Dinosaur Footprint Fossil Site" to "Tracksite of Birds and Dinosaurs in Gajin-ri, Jinju" (announced 26 July 2021).

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Where it is

Region

Jinju, Gyeongnam

Designation

Natural Monument · 천연기념물