Jinju Jeongchon-myeon Cretaceous Dinosaur and Pterosaur Footprint Fossils to Be Designated as Natural Monuments

A Rare Case of Dense Fossilized Footprints of Various Vertebrates in a Single Area

Jeongchon Fossil Site

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Saeyan] Gyeongsangnam-do announced on the 9th that the Cretaceous dinosaur and pterosaur footprint fossil site in Jeongchon-myeon, Jinju, is scheduled to be designated as a Natural Monument, a nationally designated cultural heritage.

The "Cretaceous Dinosaur and Pterosaur Footprint Fossil Site in Jeongchon-myeon, Jinju" is a location where about 10,000 Mesozoic Cretaceous dinosaur, pterosaur, and other reptile footprint fossils have been discovered. It shows the world's largest density and high diversity as a single fossil site.

In particular, the 7,000 dinosaur footprints found here represent a rare global case of a herd walking track of carnivorous dinosaurs.

The carnivorous dinosaur footprints here vary in size from about 2 cm to 50 cm, including large carnivorous dinosaur footprints.

Additionally, footprints of large sauropod dinosaurs with hind feet measuring up to 1 meter, as well as footprints of pterosaurs, crocodiles, turtles, and various other reptiles, are found together across multiple layers.

These fossils contain information about the behavior patterns, habitats, and paleoecology of animals that lived on the Korean Peninsula over 100 million years ago.

After a 30-day notice period to gather opinions from various sectors, the site is expected to be finally designated as a Natural Monument, a nationally designated cultural heritage, following a review by the Cultural Heritage Committee.

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