Giant Theropod Dinosaur Exhibition Hall Opens in East China

Jun 07, 2011     Email"> PrintText Size

China's first giant theropod dinosaur exhibition hall opened to visitors Wednesday in the city of Zhucheng, otherwise known as China's "dinosaur city," in the eastern province of Shandong.

The hall is located in the village of Zangjiazhuang, one of Zhucheng's key fossil quarries, and covers an area of 30,000 square meters, the Zhucheng city tourism bureau said in a press release.

The hall, named after the Zhuchengtyrannus magnus, a close relative of the Tyrannosaurus rex, showcases dinosaur fossils and other prehistoric remains, as well as a "time tunnel" that explores the lives of dinosaurs, the press release said.

Visitors to the hall can buy tickets for just 30 yuan (4.6 U.S. dollars) during the hall's month-long trial operation period, the release said.

Zhucheng has an abundance of dinosaur fossils dating back to the late Cretaceous period (65 to 99 million years ago).

The region was a flood plain during the Cretaceous period, meaning that the bodies of many dinosaurs ended up being buried together underwater, resulting in a large concentration of fossils, according to researchers.

Archeologists have discovered 20,000 dinosaur fossils from more than 10 different species in the region since 1964, when the first fossil was unearthed during efforts to uncover pockets of oil in the area.

(Xinhua)