Paleontological fossils refer to the biological and active remains, including plants, animal fossils and trace fossils, which formed and existed in the strata during the prehistoric geological history of mankind. In short, the fossils are  stones which formed from the remains of organisms living in the distant past. Paleontological fossils are the witness of the earth’s history, important geoheritage, scientific basis for the study of biological origin and evolution.Beside, they are non-renewable natural heritage.

The well-developed late Cenozoic strata which contains abundant fossil vertebrates widely distributed in Linxia Geopark. More than 100 fossil outcrops have been found, covering areas of Hezheng County, Guanghe County, Dongxiang County, Linxia County and Jishishan county. Among the fossils that have been produced which are the most abundant included as follows: the giant rhinoceros fauna (about 30 million years ago), shovel tooth elephant fauna (about 16 million ~ 12 million years ago), three-toed horse fauna (about 12 million ~ 6 million years ago) and real horse fauna (about 2 million years ago). Linxia paleofauna is rare in the world because of its abundant quantity, various species and being well preserved. It is known as “plateau history book” and “oriental treasure” by paleontologists.

Geological disaster refers to the geological process (phenomenon) formed under the action of natural or human factors, causing damage and loss to human life, property and environment. The common ones are collapses, landslides, debris flows, land subsidence, ground fissures and so on.

The top three geological disasters in China are landslides, collapses and debris flows, especially landslides which account for more than 70% of geological disasters. There are two large landslide sites in Linxia Geopark, namely Heifangtai Landslide in Yongjing and Saleshan Landslide in Dongxiang.

Emergency protection measures for collapses and landslides

·Do not shelter from rain, rest or walk under dangerous rocks, and do not climb dangerous rocks.

·In summer, you should listen to the weather forecast before you go to visit the mountain valley. You should not enter the mountain valley after heavy rain or even cloudy as well as rainy days.

·In case of collapses and landslides, please immediately leave the rock-soil taxiway and escape to the stable area on both sides. Remember not to run up or down the rock-soil.

Emergency protection measures of debris flows

·Residents in debris flows prone areas should pay attention to their living environment and be familiar with escaping routes.

·Pay attention to the early warning of government departments and the precursor of debris flows, inform each other and prepare in time before the disaster.

·When camping, the flat highland should be selected as the camp, and the concave bank with curved river (ditch) or convex bank with narrow and low height should be avoided. Do not set up camp sheds in ditches or low places in ditches.

·In case of rainstorms or heavy rains in the valley, it is necessary to quickly move to a safe highland instead of sheltering in the valley or steep hillside.

·If there is any indications of debris flows, please run to the hillsides on both sides of the gullies. Never run up or down along the ditches.

Geoheritage is precious and non-renewable geological natural heritage formed, developed and remained due to various internal and external geological processes during the long geological history of the earth evolution. It reflects evolution process of geological history and change of physical and chemical conditions as well as environment. It provides important evidence for people to understand geological phenomena and to speculate geological environment, evolution conditions. It is the main parameter for people to recover geological history.

Linxia Geopark is rich in diverse geoheritage. There are 79 geosites including Liujiaxia vertebrate footprint , Hezheng Cenozoic mammalian fossil , the late Cenozoic stratigraphic section, Danxia Landfrom, Three gorges of the Yellow River, the Yellow River and fluvial landscape of its branches, Heifangtai loess landslide group and so on. And the highlights of these geoheritage are abundant fossils and fossil-bearing strata.

Geological time refers to the time (age) and sequence of rocks and strata of different periods during their formation. Time units are eon, era, period, epoch, stage. eon. Every eon, era, period, epoch, stage, chron has its own name to describe the development degree of organisms in different geological time and space. And they are generally named after the place where the rocks of this period were studied firstly.

The Earth is a member of solar system. Geologists believe it formed about 4.6 billion years ago. The Earth was a rock at the very beginning . Its weak gravity constantly pulled in dust and gravel and gradually its mass gained. As the Earth became more and more massive, it became a sphere under the influence of gravitational equilibrium of stars. It slowly cleaned up other objects in its orbit as it pulled in dust and gravel, which led to fewer asteroid collision. As a result, temperature of the Earth began to drop and the surface stratum started to form. Water vapor in the atmosphere condensed into rain and fell to the ground and primordial ocean began to form. That’s the formation of our planet.

Dinosaur footprints are fossilized footprints left by dinosaurs when they walked on the ground. They are known as "close-ups" recorded by natural camera for dinosaur activities. The study of fossil footprints, combined with the study of dinosaur bones, especially foot bones, can determine which dinosaur left the footprints. They can also learn about the dinosaur's weight, length, speed, feeding habits, social or solitary life, bipedal or quadruped, and whether it was able to swim. It can be seen that dinosaur footprint fossils play an important role in studying the morphological structure and living habits of dinosaurs.

Paleontological fossils refer to the remains and active remains of living things formed and preserved in the strata in the prehistoric geological history, which include fossils of plants, invertebrates, vertebrates, other animals and their remains. Paleontological fossils are the witness of the earth's history and the scientific foundation for the study of biological origin and evolution. Different from cultural relics, paleontological fossils are important geological relics and precious, non-renewable natural heritage in China.

Over thousands years of geological time, the remains or traces of life that once lived on earth are buried by mud. Then in the following years, the organic matter in the remains was broken down, and the hard parts, such as shells, bones, branches and leaves, with the surrounding sediments, were petrified, but their original form, structure (and even some subtle internal structures) remained.

UNESCO Global Geoparks are single, unified geographical areas where sites and landscapes of international geological significance are managed with a holistic concept of protection, education and sustainable development. A UNESCO Global Geopark uses its geological heritage, in connection with all other aspects of the area’s natural and cultural heritage, to enhance awareness and understanding of key issues facing society, such as using our earth’s resources sustainably, mitigating the effects of climate change and reducing natural disasters-related risks. By raising awareness of the importance of the area’s geological heritage in history and society today, UNESCO Global Geoparks give local people a sense of pride in their region and strengthen their identification with the area. The creation of innovative local enterprises, new jobs and high quality training courses is stimulated as new sources of revenue are generated through geotourism, while the geological resources of the area are protected.

Qijia culture is a late Neolithic culture centered in Gansu province and has entered the stage of copper-stone use age. It was named after Qijiaping Site in Guanghe County, Gansu Province. The Qijiaping site was discovered in 1924 by the archaeologist Anderson. It is an archaeological culture of special value in the upper reaches of the Yellow River and an important source of Chinese civilization. It is mainly distributed from the east of Gansu to the west of Zhangye, and Qinghai Lake district, which covered a thousand kilometers from west to east. Its distribution cross provinces such as Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai, Inner Mongolia and etc.

The Qijia culture originated from the Majiayao culture and the lower part of Changshan culture, both of which were developed from the Yangshao culture.

Situated in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, Majiayao culture is neolithic culture. It was named after Majiayao site where painted pottery were discovered by Anderson (the discoverer of Majiayao culture). The date of the discovery was about 3300 B.C. -- 2100 B.C.

Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of organisms (plants, animals, etc.) that lived in the distant past. The oldest fossils in the fossil record date from 3.5 billion years ago, however it wasn't until around 600 million years ago that complex, multi-cellular life was first preserved in the fossil record.

There are two main types of fossils; body and trace. Body fossils include the remains of organisms that were once living (bones, shells, teeth, eggs, etc.), while trace fossils are the signs that organisms were once present (footprints, tracks, burrow, coprolites). Trace fossils represent a data source that reflects animal behaviors, and they do not require the preservation of hard body parts. Many traces date from significantly earlier than the body fossils of the animals suspected to have made them.

Fossilization of an organism requires a unique set of circumstances so that it doesn’t just decay without a trace. These conditions include:

1. Rapid and permanent burial/entombment

2. Lack of oxygen that limits decay and scavenging.

3. Continued sediment accumulation

4. The absence of heat or compression which might destroy the fossil