Rare Cretaceous biota fossils found in Hailun Grand Canyon, Heilongjiang Province

　　On the 18th, the reporter learned from the press conference on the research and investigation results of Cretaceous Heilongjiang Helen Biota that rare Cretaceous biota fossils were found in Heilongjiang Helen Grand Canyon.
　　According to Liu Shuchen, deputy director of China geological museum and member of the National Committee of Paleontological Fossils, since 2018, many paleontologists from geological museum, Shenyang Geological Survey Center of China Geological Survey, beijing museum of natural history and other units have conducted in-depth investigation and research on animal and plant fossils in Helen City, Suihua City, Heilongjiang Province, and discovered the paleontology of Helen Grand Canyon. "This is the first biota found in China, which is mainly composed of Cretaceous tree fern stem fossils. At present, more than a dozen fossils of Cretaceous pteridophyte stems, gymnosperms, dinosaurs and turtles have been found. The discovery of these fossils provides important evidence for studying the evolution of paleoecology, paleoclimate, paleoenvironment and paleovegetation in the dinosaur era in Northeast China. "
　　The remains of paleontology in Helen Grand Canyon are located in Helen National Forest Park, Heilongjiang Province. The canyon is connected with the remaining veins of Xiaoxing ‘an Mountains and reaches the upper reaches of Dongfanghong Reservoir in Helen City. The valley is more than 10 kilometers long, which is the transition zone from the western slope of Xiaoxing ‘an Mountains to Songnen Plain. The regional ecosystem is complete, the forest regeneration and succession are good, and the species diversity is rich. Since 2018, Helen has invited paleontologists from many national authorities to visit and study for three times.
　　"The paleontological fossils discovered this time are widely distributed in the river valley in gravel state, with a large output. Fossil individuals are larger than those in other areas. There are rich types of fossils, including ferns, gymnosperms and reptiles such as dinosaurs and turtles. " Cheng Yeming, a researcher in geological museum, China, said, "The discovery of a large number of fern stem fossils in Puschi also provides evidence for the correlation between Cretaceous strata in China and contemporary strata in other parts of the world."
　　According to the research, Cheng Yeming concluded that in the Late Cretaceous, the Helen area was a relaxed coastal and shallow lake environment, with rivers criss-crossing, and the Helen Grand Canyon was at the intersection of rivers and lakes. At that time, the climate should be warm and humid, with lush vegetation, ferns and gymnosperms such as conifers and cypresses growing, and other vertebrates such as turtles and dinosaurs living and multiplying on the shore of the lake, forming a good terrestrial ecosystem.
　　Zhang Lidong, deputy chief engineer of Shenyang Geological Survey Center of China Geological Survey, found through investigation that the paleontological remains of Helen Grand Canyon mainly include three kinds of plant fossils of Cretaceous tree ferns, cycads and conifers, and three kinds of animal fossils of Paleozoic protozoa dragonfly, invertebrate gastropods, reptile turtles and dinosaur bones. Based on comprehensive indoor arrangement and regional stratigraphic correlation, it is preliminarily considered that the stratum of Hailun Grand Canyon belongs to Late Cretaceous-Neogene stratum.
　　Experts believe that the discovery of paleontology in Helen Grand Canyon provides an important basis for exploring the relationship between Cretaceous flora in East Asia, Western Europe and North America. At the same time, the paleontological fossils in this area have a high degree of silicification, the structure of paleontology itself is intact, and it has typical environmental indicators. It is an excellent earth science popularization place to show geological and historical changes, fossil burial and excavation, and should be further studied, protected and utilized.