The China-Canada Dinosaur Project (
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
: 中国-加拿大恐龙计划;
Pinyin
Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese for ...
: ''Zhōngguó-jiānádà kǒnglóng jìhuà''; also known as ''Sino-Canadian Dinosaur Project'') was a six-year series of
palaeontological
Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (geology), epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes t ...
expeditions carried out by scientists from
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
and
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
.
History
Background
In the 19th and early-20th centuries, foreign and domestic researchers - including
Roy Chapman Andrews
Roy Chapman Andrews (January 26, 1884 – March 11, 1960) was an American explorer, adventurer and naturalist who became the director of the American Museum of Natural History. He led a series of expeditions through the politically disturbed C ...
and
Yang Zhongjian
Yang Zhongjian, also Yang Chung-chien (; 1 June 1897 – 15 January 1979), courtesy name Keqiang (), also known as C.C. (Chung Chien) Young, was a Chinese paleontologist and zoologist. He was one of China's foremost vertebrate paleontologists. H ...
- made many
dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...
-related discoveries in China and
Mongolia
Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...
, particularly in the
Gobi Desert
The Gobi Desert (Chinese: 戈壁 (沙漠), Mongolian: Говь (ᠭᠣᠪᠢ)) () is a large desert or brushland region in East Asia, and is the sixth largest desert in the world.
Geography
The Gobi measures from southwest to northeast an ...
. This changed with the rise of the
Chinese Communist Party
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victoriou ...
and
establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, which saw Chinese academia reorganized and some fields, including
anthropology
Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...
, fall out of favour over their perceived ties to
imperialism
Imperialism is the state policy, practice, or advocacy of extending power and dominion, especially by direct territorial acquisition or by gaining political and economic control of other areas, often through employing hard power (economic and ...
.
The
Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology The Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP; ) of China is a research institution and collections repository for fossils, including many dinosaur and pterosaur specimens (many from the Yixian Formation). As its name suggest ...
(IVPP) in
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
had many of its students reassigned onto other projects, such as the
Down to the Countryside Movement
The Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside Movement, often known simply as the Down to the Countryside Movement, was a policy instituted in the People's Republic of China between mid 1950s and 1978. As a result of what he perceived to ...
,
but began to rebuild in the mid-1970s with the reestablishment of the institute's journal ''Vertebrata PalAsiatica'' and monumental discoveries like the
Dashanpu bonebeds. Chinese palaeontologist
Dong Zhiming
Dong Zhiming (Chinese: 董枝明, Pinyin: ''Dǒng Zhimíng''; born January 1937) is a Chinese vertebrate paleontologist formerly employed at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) in Beijing. He began working at the ...
became prominent in the organization following the death of Yang Zhongjian, his mentor and the "father of Chinese vertebrate paleontology".
A period of
economic and political reforms known as the "Opening of China" in the West led to scientific cooperation beginning between researchers in the country and abroad, drawing the attention of Canadian researchers. While establishing the
Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in 1982,
Provincial Museum of Alberta
The Royal Alberta Museum (RAM) is a museum of human and natural history in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The museum is located in Downtown Edmonton, north of City Hall. The museum is the largest in western Canada with more than exhibition space ...
palaeontologist
Philip J. Currie
Philip John Currie (born March 13, 1949) is a Canadian palaeontologist and museum curator who helped found the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Drumheller, Alberta and is now a professor at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. In the ...
suggested to communications consultant
Brian Noble that the Gobi Desert was an ideal location for discovering dinosaur fossils. Noble received an $8,000
CAD
Computer-aided design (CAD) is the use of computers (or ) to aid in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design. This software is used to increase the productivity of the designer, improve the quality of design, improve co ...
grant from the
Canada Council
The Canada Council for the Arts (french: Conseil des arts du Canada), commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown corporation established in 1957 as an arts council of the Government of Canada. It acts as the federal government's principal i ...
to begin a feasibility study into creating a cultural program that could facilitate joint research missions by Canadian and Chinese palaeontologists, and in 1984 founded the
Ex Terra Foundation, an
Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
-based
non-profit
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
. Noble would remain executive director of the foundation for the duration of its existence, later bringing on
Kevin Taft
Kevin Taft (born September 9, 1955) is an author, consultant, speaker, and former provincial politician in Alberta, Canada. Prior to his election, he worked in various public policy roles (1973-2000) in the Government of Alberta, private and no ...
to serve as CEO from 1986 to 1991.
Creation
The China-Canada Dinosaur Project (CCDP) was formally launched by the Ex Terra Foundation in 1985 to organize cooperative expeditions between the
Canadian Museum of Nature
The Canadian Museum of Nature (french: Musée canadien de la nature; CMN) is a national natural history museum based in Canada's National Capital Region. The museum's exhibitions and public programs are housed in the Victoria Memorial Museum Bui ...
in
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
, the IVPP in
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
, and the Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in
Drumheller, Alberta
Drumheller is a town on the Red Deer River in the badlands of east-central Alberta, Canada. It is northeast of Calgary and south of Stettler. The Drumheller portion of the Red Deer River valley, often referred to as Dinosaur Valley, has ...
with the support of the
provincial government of Alberta, the
federal government of Canada
The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown-in-C ...
, the
National Natural Science Foundation of China
The National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC; ) is an organization directly affiliated to China's State Council for the management of the National Natural Science Fund.
History
NSFC was founded in February 1986 by theoretical chemist Tan ...
, and the
Inner Mongolia Museum.
Canadian Airlines International
Canadian Airlines International Ltd. (stylized as Canadi›n Airlines or Canadi‹n Airlines, or simply Canadian) was a Canadian airline that operated from 1987 until 2001. The airline was Canada's second largest airline after Air Canada, carr ...
provided transportation to China for Canadian researchers involved in the project.
The stated mission of the Dinosaur Project was to improve the understanding of
dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...
s from
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
and
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
by conducting
field work
Field research, field studies, or fieldwork is the collection of raw data outside a laboratory, library, or workplace setting. The approaches and methods used in field research vary across disciplines. For example, biologists who conduct f ...
in the
Canadian Arctic
Northern Canada, colloquially the North or the Territories, is the vast northernmost region of Canada variously defined by geography and politics. Politically, the term refers to the three territories of Canada: Yukon, Northwest Territories and N ...
, the Gobi Desert, the
Junggar Basin
The Junggar Basin () is one of the largest sedimentary basins in Northwest China. It is located in Xinjiang, and enclosed by the Tarbagatai Mountains of Kazakhstan in the northwest, the Altai Mountains of Mongolia in the northeast, and the Heaven ...
, and other places of interest over the course of the following eight years.
Philip J. Currie of the Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, Dong Zhiming of the IVPP, and
Dale Russell
Dale Alan Russell (27 December 1937 – 21 December 2019)
was an American-Canadian geologist and palaeontologist. Throughout his career Russell worked as the Curator of Fossil Vertebrates at the Canadian Museum of Nature, Research Professor a ...
of the Canadian Museum of Nature served as project leads for the CCDP. Dong Zhiming and
Sun Ailing
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared r ...
of the IVPP visited
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
in October–November 1985.
The project's official logo featured the English word "dinosaur" adjacent to its Chinese translation: "恐龙".
Field work
![Mamenchisaurus in Japan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Mamenchisaurus_in_Japan.jpg)
Field work related to the China-Canada Dinosaur Project began in May 1986 with an eight-day expedition to the Gobi Desert, the first to involve Western scientists since 1930.
In the early summer a larger-scale reconnaissance mission was led by Currie, Dong, and Russell in which they and their team travelled across the Gobi to identify sites of interest for dig teams in the future.
This three-week excursion was the first major operation of the Dinosaur Project and marked the first use of eight
Jeep
Jeep is an American automobile marque, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with remaining assets, from its previous owner American Moto ...
s granted to the CCDP by the
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
-based
Donner Canadian Foundation Donner may refer to: Places
* Donner (crater), a lunar crater
* Mount Donner, on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
* Donner, California, an unincorporated community near Donner Pass, United States
* Donner Lake, in California
* Donner Memo ...
. The team also visited fossil sites in Alberta,
Montana
Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...
, and the Arctic, with their first fossil-collecting mission occurring in
Dinosaur Provincial Park
Dinosaur Provincial Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site situated a two hour drive east of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; or , about a half-hour drive northeast of Brooks.
The park is situated in the Red Deer River valley, which is noted for its strik ...
in July, where the project's first major find - a
troodontid
Troodontidae is a clade of bird-like theropod dinosaurs. During most of the 20th century, troodontid fossils were few and incomplete and they have therefore been allied, at various times, with many dinosaurian lineages. More recent fossil discov ...
braincase
In human anatomy, the neurocranium, also known as the braincase, brainpan, or brain-pan is the upper and back part of the skull, which forms a protective case around the brain. In the human skull, the neurocranium includes the calvaria or skul ...
- was made by
Tang Zhilu
Tang or TANG most often refers to:
* Tang dynasty
* Tang (drink mix)
Tang or TANG may also refer to:
Chinese states and dynasties
* Jin (Chinese state) (11th century – 376 BC), a state during the Spring and Autumn period, called Tang (唐) b ...
.
The 1987 field season was extremely productive for the CCDP. Between August and October, the team uncovered fossils which would later serve as the
holotype
A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of several ...
s for ''
Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum
''Mamenchisaurus'' (or spelling pronunciation ) is a genus of sauropod dinosaur known for their remarkably long necks which made up nearly half the total body length. Numerous species have been assigned to the genus; however, many of these might ...
'' and ''
Sinraptor dongi'' in China,
and began work on the Devil's Coulee fossil site discovered earlier in the summer by
Wendy Sloboda in Canada.
In 1988, Dale Russell discovered the
''
Alxasaurus
''Alxasaurus'' (; meaning " Alxa lizard") is a genus of therizinosauroid theropod dinosaurs from the Early Cretaceous (Albian age) Bayin-Gobi Formation of Inner Mongolia.
History of discovery
The fossil remains were first discovered in 1988 a ...
'' in the Gobi Desert. A team led by Phil Currie uncovered five juvenile ''
Pinacosaurus
''Pinacosaurus'' (meaning "Plank lizard") is a genus of ankylosaurid thyreophoran dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous (Santonian-Campanian, roughly 75 million to 71 million years ago), mainly in Mongolia and China.
The first r ...
'' and sixty-six
protoceratopsians near the town of
Bayan Mandahu
The Bayan Mandahu Formation (also known as Wulansuhai Formation or Wuliangsuhai Formation) is a geological unit of "redbeds" located near the village of Bayan Mandahu in Inner Mongolia, China Asia ( Gobi Desert) and dates from the late Cretaceous ...
, in addition to three
dinosaur egg
Dinosaur eggs are the organic vessels in which a dinosaur embryo develops. When the first scientifically documented remains of non-avian dinosaurs were being described in England during the 1820s, it was presumed that dinosaurs had laid eggs bec ...
nests and an incomplete ''
Alectrosaurus
''Alectrosaurus'' (; meaning "alone lizard") is a genus of tyrannosauroid theropod dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous period, about some 96 million years ago in what is now the Iren Dabasu Formation.
It was a medium-sized, mo ...
'' skeleton from the
Iren Dabasu Formation
The Iren Dabasu Formation (also known as Erlian Formation) is a Late Cretaceous geologic formation in the Iren Nor region of Inner Mongolia. Dinosaur remains diagnostic to the genus level are among the fossils that have been recovered from the fo ...
.
Two years later, further work at the site would uncover seven more juvenile ''Pinacosaurus'' in the same quarry.
The 1989 field season represented a turning point for the Dinosaur Project. Canadian researchers arrived in China and began work on dig sites in
Xinjiang
Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwest ...
amid
ongoing protests in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. Following the government crackdown against demonstrators on 4 June, the government of Canada ordered all of its citizens in China to return home, cutting that year's field season short. Canadian scientists returned to China again in 1990 to continue excavating at dig sites identified on earlier expeditions, and noteworthy discoveries were made on a near-daily basis.
An extraordinarily well-preserved
cycadophyte
Cycads are seed plants that typically have a stout and woody (ligneous) trunk with a crown of large, hard, stiff, evergreen and (usually) pinnate leaves. The species are dioecious, that is, individual plants of a species are either male or ...
fossil was discovered near
Urad Houqi in 1990, sixty years after the Sino-Swedish Expeditions (1927-1935) had uncovered fossils at the same site in 1930. By the time CCDP researchers returned to Canada in August, the organization had already determined there would be no further missions to China. Later that summer a handful of Canadian sites failed to produce any notable fossils. A final expedition was made to
Dinosaur Provincial Park
Dinosaur Provincial Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site situated a two hour drive east of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; or , about a half-hour drive northeast of Brooks.
The park is situated in the Red Deer River valley, which is noted for its strik ...
and
Grande Cache
Grande Cache is a hamlet in west-central Alberta, Canada within and administered by the Municipal District of Greenview No. 16. It is located on Highway 40 approximately northwest of Hinton and west of Edmonton. Grande Cache overlooks the Smok ...
in 1991,
during one of the most successful field seasons in the history of the Royal Tyrrell Museum.
Chinese researcher Tang Zhilu, who had made the first major discovery of the CCDP, made one of the last discoveries of the project when he uncovered an
ankylosaurid
Ankylosauridae () is a family of armored dinosaurs within Ankylosauria, and is the sister group to Nodosauridae. The oldest known Ankylosaurids date to around 122 million years ago and went extinct 66 million years ago during the Cretaceous–Pal ...
skull belonging to ''
Edmontonia
''Edmontonia'' is a genus of panoplosaurin nodosaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Period. It is part of the Nodosauridae, a family within Ankylosauria. It is named after the Edmonton Formation (now the Horseshoe Canyon Formation in Canada) ...
''.
With the conclusion of the 1991 field season the China-Canada Dinosaur Project ended six years into their eight-year mandate. The CCDP produced an enormous amount of fossils, with over fifteen tonnes of fossil material collected in Canada and another sixty tonnes in China.
Impact
Discoveries
![Sinraptor dongi skeleton](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Sinraptor_dongi_skeleton.jpg)
New dinosaur
taxa
In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular nam ...
described by the China-Canada Dinosaur Project include ''
Alxasaurus
''Alxasaurus'' (; meaning " Alxa lizard") is a genus of therizinosauroid theropod dinosaurs from the Early Cretaceous (Albian age) Bayin-Gobi Formation of Inner Mongolia.
History of discovery
The fossil remains were first discovered in 1988 a ...
'', ''
Bellusaurus
''Bellusaurus'' (meaning "Beautiful lizard", from Vulgar Latin ''bellus'' 'beautiful' ( masculine form) and Ancient Greek ''sauros'' 'lizard') was a small short-necked sauropod dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic which measured about long. Its f ...
'', ''
Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum
''Mamenchisaurus'' (or spelling pronunciation ) is a genus of sauropod dinosaur known for their remarkably long necks which made up nearly half the total body length. Numerous species have been assigned to the genus; however, many of these might ...
'',
''
Monolophosaurus
''Monolophosaurus'' ( ; meaning "single-crested lizard") is an extinct genus of tetanuran theropod dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic Shishugou Formation in what is now Xinjiang, China.Holtz, Thomas R. Jr. (2011) ''Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up ...
'',
''
Sinornithoides
''Sinornithoides'' (meaning "Chinese bird form") is a genus of troodontid theropod dinosaurs containing the single species ''Sinornithoides youngi''. ''S. youngi'' lived during the Early Cretaceous ( Aptian/Albian stage, around 113 million years ...
'',
''
Sinraptor
''Sinraptor'' is a genus of metriacanthosaurid theropod dinosaur from the Late Jurassic. The name ''Sinraptor'' comes from the Latin prefix "Sino", meaning Chinese, and "raptor" meaning robber. The specific name ''dongi'' honours Dong Zhiming. De ...
'',
and ''
Wuerhosaurus ordosensis''.
An incomplete skeleton recovered from Pingfengshan in 1989 is believed to be an unidentified species of ''
Euhelopus
''Euhelopus'' is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived between 145 and 133 million years ago during the Berriasian and Valanginian stages of the Early Cretaceous in what is now Shandong Province in China. It was a large quadrupedal herbivore. U ...
''.
The project also described non-dinosaurian fossils such as the
turtle
Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked tu ...
s ''
Khunnuchelys
''Khunnuchelys'' was a genus of trionychine turtle from the Late Cretaceous of Asia. Three species are known, ''K. erinhotensis'', the type species, ''K. kizylkumensis'', and ''K. lophorhothon''. ''K. erinhotensis'' is known from the Iren Dabasu ...
'',
''
Ordosemys
''Ordosemys'' is an extinct genus of sea turtle from the Cretaceous period
The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the ...
'',
and ''
Zangerlia neimongolensis'';
the
crocodyliform
Crocodyliformes is a clade of crurotarsan archosaurs, the group often traditionally referred to as "crocodilians". They are the first members of Crocodylomorpha to possess many of the features that define later relatives. They are the only pseudo ...
s ''
Rugosuchus'' and ''
Sunosuchus junggarensis'';
the
crocodilia
Crocodilia (or Crocodylia, both ) is an order of mostly large, predatory, semiaquatic reptiles, known as crocodilians. They first appeared 95 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous period ( Cenomanian stage) and are the closest living ...
n ''
Borealosuchus griffithi'';
the
trace fossil
A trace fossil, also known as an ichnofossil (; from el, ἴχνος ''ikhnos'' "trace, track"), is a fossil record of biological activity but not the preserved remains of the plant or animal itself. Trace fossils contrast with body fossils, ...
''
Fictovichnus'';
and an unidentified
atoposaurid
Atoposauridae is a Family (biology), family of crocodile-line archosaurs belonging to Neosuchia. The majority of the family are known from Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous marine deposits in France, Portugal, and Bavaria in southern Germany. The ...
tentatively assigned to the genus ''
Theriosuchus
''Theriosuchus'' is an extinct genus of atoposaurid neosuchian from Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous of Europe (Hungary & southern England), Southeast Asia (Thailand) and western North America (Wyoming), with fragmentary records from Middle Jura ...
''.
The CCDP also produced six distinct types of
fossilized embryos believed to belong to the
protoceratopsians ''
Protoceratops
''Protoceratops'' (; ) is a genus of small protoceratopsid dinosaurs that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous, around 75 to 71 million years ago. The genus ''Protoceratops'' includes two species: ''P. andrewsi'' and the larger ''P. hellenik ...
'' and ''
Bagaceratops
''Bagaceratops'' (meaning "small-horned face") is a genus of small protoceratopsid dinosaurs that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous, around 72 to 71 million years ago. ''Bagaceratops'' remains have been reported from the Barun Goyot Forma ...
''.
In addition to specimens recovered in the field, CCDP researchers also reanalyzed fossil material that had gone ignored following earlier expeditions. This includes a partially-complete
ankylosaur skull discovered in 1959 or 1960 by a multinational expedition made up of Chinese and
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
researchers but which was placed into storage and never properly described. The skull was rediscovered while searching for fossils to feature in the Dinosaur Project's touring show, and in 2001 was made the holotype for a new genus of dinosaur: ''
Gobisaurus
''Gobisaurus'' is an extinct genus of herbivorous basal ankylosaurid ankylosaur from the Upper Cretaceous (and possibly also the Lower Cretaceous) of China (''Nei Mongol Zizhiqu''). The genus is monotypic, containing only the species ''Gobisaur ...
''.
A survey conducted of the
Djadochta Formation
The Djadochta Formation (sometimes transcribed and also known as Djadokhta, Djadokata, or Dzhadokhtskaya) is a highly fossiliferous geological formation situated in Central Asia, Gobi Desert, dating from the Late Cretaceous period, about 75 milli ...
during the CCDP dated the formation to the
Campanian
The Campanian is the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous Epoch on the geologic timescale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). In chronostratigraphy, it is the fifth of six stages in the Upper Cretaceous Series. Campanian s ...
age
Age or AGE may refer to:
Time and its effects
* Age, the amount of time someone or something has been alive or has existed
** East Asian age reckoning, an Asian system of marking age starting at 1
* Ageing or aging, the process of becoming older ...
of the
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''creta'', the ...
.
Chinese response
The
National Natural Science Foundation of China
The National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC; ) is an organization directly affiliated to China's State Council for the management of the National Natural Science Fund.
History
NSFC was founded in February 1986 by theoretical chemist Tan ...
was founded in 1986 in conjunction with the China-Canada Dinosaur Project and reflected on the program's successes at an international palaeontology symposium which ran from 10 to 12 October 2001 celebrating the foundation's fifteenth anniversary.
Even after the CCDP ended some Canadian and Chinese palaeontologists continued to work together, resulting in the description of newly named dinosaurs like ''Gobisaurus'' and the reevaluation of known genera such as ''
Shanshanosaurus''.
After the CCPD concluded Chinese institutions were quick to begin collaborating with other foreign bodies, resulting in three additional dinosaur projects being launched in the 1990s: the Sino-Japan Silk Road Dinosaur Expedition (1992-1993), the China-Japan-Mongolia Mongolian Plateau Expedition (1995-1999), and the Sino-Belgium Dinosaur Project (1995-2001).
Zhao Xijin
Zhao Xijin (赵喜进; born c. 1935 died July 21, 2012) was a Chinese paleontologist notable for having named numerous dinosaurs. He was a professor at Beijing's Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology.
Biography
Zhao Xijin was ...
and other participants in the CCDP continued to lead multinational expeditions to the Gobi Desert for years after the project ended.
Dale Russell, one of the CCDP's leaders, departed from the Canadian Museum of Nature in the years after the Dinosaur Project concluded and was replaced by fellow Dinosaur Project researcher Wu Xiaochun.
Western response
At the conclusion of the 1990 field season, Ex Terra Foundation CEO
Kevin Taft
Kevin Taft (born September 9, 1955) is an author, consultant, speaker, and former provincial politician in Alberta, Canada. Prior to his election, he worked in various public policy roles (1973-2000) in the Government of Alberta, private and no ...
was quoted as saying: "This concludes one of the biggest hunts in history".
Peter Dodson
Peter Dodson (born August 20, 1946) is an American paleontologist who has published many papers and written and collaborated on books about dinosaurs. An authority on Ceratopsians, he has also authored several papers and textbooks on hadrosaurs a ...
, an American palaeontologist from the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
, called the China-Canada Dinosaur Project "a very significant expedition".
Phillip J. Currie, one of the project's leads, attributed the ongoing collaboration between Canadian and Chinese populations to the relationships established during the CCDP and referred to the project as a high point in the careers of all involved.
Another project lead, Dale Russell, described working in the Gobi Desert as "like being on another planet. You have a wonderful feeling of time, of antiquity".
In recognition of shared customs between the
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...
in Canada and China, the
Indian Association of Alberta (IAA) organized a symbolic exchange of
tipi
A tipi , often called a lodge in English, is a conical tent, historically made of animal hides or pelts, and in more recent generations of canvas, stretched on a framework of wooden poles. The word is Siouan languages, Siouan, and in use in Dakot ...
s from the
Peigen Reserve (now Piikani 147) and
yurt
A yurt (from the Turkic languages) or ger ( Mongolian) is a portable, round tent covered and insulated with skins or felt and traditionally used as a dwelling by several distinct nomadic groups in the steppes and mountains of Central Asia. ...
s from
Kazakhs
The Kazakhs (also spelled Qazaqs; Kazakh: , , , , , ; the English name is transliterated from Russian; russian: казахи) are a Turkic-speaking ethnic group native to northern parts of Central Asia, chiefly Kazakhstan, but also parts o ...
living in
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Its border includes most of the length of China's border with the country of Mongolia. Inner Mongolia also accounts for a ...
. The tipis were presented by Piikani elder Joe Crowshoe, Sr. at a research site in China in September 1987 at a ceremony which, following the tipi raising, featured a series of cultural events including horse races and dancing.
A lack of funding resulted in the IAA and the Ex Terra Foundation initially cancelling the event before additional funding was secured.
Less than five years after opening and after four years participating in the CCDP, the Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology received the title "Royal" from
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...
on 28 June 1990 near the start of the 1990 field season.
The CCDP was the subject of the 1993 non-fiction book ''The Dinosaur Project'' by
Wayne Grady
Wayne Desmond Grady (born 26 July 1957) is an Australian professional golfer.
Early life
Born in Brisbane, Grady turned professional in 1978.
Professional career
Grady began his career on the PGA Tour of Australia. He had much early suc ...
.
In 1996 the Royal Tyrrell Museum put on a special exhibit entitled "Kong-Long: Dinosaurs from the Gobi" which covered discoveries made by the CCDP and other researchers in the Gobi Desert.
To promote a 2013
Pacific National Exhibition
The Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) is a nonprofit organization that operates an annual 15-day summer fair, 10-day winter fair, a seasonal amusement park, and indoor arenas in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The PNE fair is held at Hastings ...
attraction based on
Genghis Khan
''Chinggis Khaan'' ͡ʃʰiŋɡɪs xaːŋbr />Mongol script: ''Chinggis Qa(gh)an/ Chinggis Khagan''
, birth_name = Temüjin
, successor = Tolui (as regent)Ögedei Khan
, spouse =
, issue =
, house = Borjigin
, ...
, science journalist
Don "Dino Don" Lessem travelled to China and Mongolia with the radio show ''
Ideas
In common usage and in philosophy, ideas are the results of thought. Also in philosophy, ideas can also be mental representational images of some object. Many philosophers have considered ideas to be a fundamental ontological category of being. ...
'' and revisited the site where ''Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum'' was discovered by the CCDP in 1987 as part of the program.
Dinosaur Project World Tour
Preparation
One of the largest science exhibitions in history was organized by the Ex Terra Foundation to showcase dinosaur fossils from China and Canada, with a heavy focus on those discovered by the CCDP.
The show was alternatively known as "The Dinosaur Project", "The Greatest Show Unearthed", and "The Dinosaur Project World Tour", and was meant to raise funding for non-fiction books and documentaries which covered the research done by the CCDP.
Work began on the touring show in 1986. A preliminary analysis conducted by the
Harrison Price Company to determine the possible financial returns of the project was completed in 1989 and projected that the Dinosaur Project exhibition could draw 900 to 3,200 daily visitors in North American markets and 6,000 to 10,000 in Japan.
In preparation for the show, Ex Terra acquired archived fossil material from historic expeditions in China, leading to the rediscovery of previously-overlooked fossils such as a skull which was later made the holotype for ''Gobisaurus''.
Some names used to identify fossils featured in the show - such as "Gobisaurus" and "Sinornithoides" - had not been published in academic literature at the time of the show. As a result, these names were considered ''
nomen nudum
In taxonomy, a ''nomen nudum'' ('naked name'; plural ''nomina nuda'') is a designation which looks exactly like a scientific name of an organism, and may have originally been intended to be one, but it has not been published with an adequate descr ...
'' until they were described in official publications.
Tour
The show was originally scheduled to tour Canada, the United States, Europe, Australia, and Japan in 1990, but was delayed multiple times. Officials announced in October 1990 that
Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
would host the premiere showing of the Dinosaur Project World Tour from 15 May to 5 July 1992 before moving on to
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
; other locales which had been considered to host the show were
Calgary
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
,
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
, and
Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...
. The government of Alberta contributed $1.94 million CAD towards the Edmonton portion of the tour. Ultimately the event was delayed again and went forward in 1993, premiering in Edmonton before travelling to Toronto. The show made its international debut in
Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...
in 1994 and then appeared in
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
and Vancouver in 1995 before moving on to
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
for the summer of 1996–1997.
The show also appeared in
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
,
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...
, and
Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...
.
In 1997 the Ex Terra Foundation ended the tour and sold many of its assets to the Royal Tyrrell Museum.
Of the eleven cities suggested as venues by a 1989 consultation with the Harrison Price Company, only Dallas and Toronto ever hosted the show.
The opening of the Edmonton show was attended by
Ralph Klein
Ralph Philip Klein (November 1, 1942 – March 29, 2013) was a Canadian politician and journalist who served as the 12th premier of Alberta and leader of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta from 1992 until his retirement in 20 ...
,
Premier of Alberta
The premier of Alberta is the first minister for the Canadian province of Alberta, and the province's head of government. The current premier is Danielle Smith, leader of the United Conservative Party, who was sworn in on October 11, 2022.
The ...
;
Donald H. Sparrow,
Minister of Economic Development and Tourism;
Dianne Mirosh,
Minister of Innovation and Science; and
Tom Musgrove, MLA for the
Bow River
The Bow River is a river in Alberta, Canada. It begins within the Canadian Rocky Mountains and winds through the Alberta foothills onto the prairies, where it meets the Oldman River, the two then forming the South Saskatchewan River. These w ...
electoral district
An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...
. Mirosh and Musgrove were critical of the show, saying it lacked sufficient recognition for Dinosaur Provincial Park's contributions to palaeontology. The show was also derided as "
Bedrock
In geology, bedrock is solid Rock (geology), rock that lies under loose material (regolith) within the crust (geology), crust of Earth or another terrestrial planet.
Definition
Bedrock is the solid rock that underlies looser surface mater ...
meets
Epcot
Epcot, stylized in all uppercase as EPCOT, is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Inspired by an unreal ...
" by critics as it toured Canada.
However, Deputy Premier
Ken Kowalski
Kenneth Reginald Kowalski (born September 27, 1945) is a politician and former teacher from Alberta, Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, where he served from 1979 to 2012, sitting with the governing Progressive Conse ...
repeatedly defended the show and deemed it a success. During an October 1993 meeting of the Alberta Legislative Assembly, Kowalski deemed dinosaurs one of Alberta's primary tourist attractions:
Most of the reviews that are done clearly indicate that people are fascinated by three things in the province of Alberta. They're fascinated by RCMP
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal and national police service of Canada. As poli ...
with red serge coats, they're fascinated by the Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...
, and they're absolutely fascinated by dinosaurs. There's something international about a dinosaur, and of course Alberta is really the great home of the dinosaur.
Features
Fossils featured prominently in the tour included samples from a ''
Centrosaurus
''Centrosaurus'' ( ; ) is a genus of herbivorous ceratopsian dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Canada. Their remains have been found in the Dinosaur Park Formation, dating from 76.5 to 75.5 million years ago.
Discovery and naming
The firs ...
'' bonebed, a ''
Daspletosaurus
''Daspletosaurus'' ( ; meaning "frightful lizard") is a genus of tyrannosaurid dinosaur that lived in Laramidia between about 79.5 and 74 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous Period. The genus ''Daspletosaurus'' contains three species ...
'' skull, a well-preserved
ornithomimid
Ornithomimidae (meaning "bird-mimics") is a family of theropod dinosaurs which bore a superficial resemblance to modern ostriches. Ornithomimids were fast, omnivorous or herbivorous dinosaurs known mainly from the Late Cretaceous Period of Laura ...
, a nearly-complete ''
Prosaurolophus
''Prosaurolophus'' (; meaning "before ''Saurolophus''", in comparison to the later dinosaur with a similar head crest) is a genus of hadrosaurid (or duck-billed) dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of North America. It is known from the remains of ...
'' skeleton, a stone slab containing twelve juvenile ''
Pinacosaurus
''Pinacosaurus'' (meaning "Plank lizard") is a genus of ankylosaurid thyreophoran dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous (Santonian-Campanian, roughly 75 million to 71 million years ago), mainly in Mongolia and China.
The first r ...
'', a ''
Mamenchisaurus
''Mamenchisaurus'' (or spelling pronunciation ) is a genus of sauropod dinosaur known for their remarkably long necks which made up nearly half the total body length. Numerous species have been assigned to the genus; however, many of these might ...
'' skeleton, and the ''
Tyrannosaurus
''Tyrannosaurus'' is a genus of large theropoda, theropod dinosaur. The species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' (''rex'' meaning "king" in Latin), often called ''T. rex'' or colloquially ''T-Rex'', is one of the best represented theropods. ''Tyrannosa ...
'' skeleton known as
"Black Beauty".
A number of artistic recreations were prepared for the tour, including a life-size ''
Albertosaurus
''Albertosaurus'' (; meaning "Alberta lizard") is a genus of tyrannosaurid theropod dinosaurs that lived in western North America during the Late Cretaceous Period, about 71 million years ago. The type species, ''A. sarcophagus'', was app ...
'' sculpture created by Canadian
palaeoartist
Paleoart (also spelled palaeoart, paleo-art, or paleo art) is any original artistic work that attempts to depict prehistoric life according to scientific evidence. Works of paleoart may be representations of fossil remains or imagined depiction ...
Brian Cooley. Many of the sculptures and other palaeoart used in the tour were acquired by the Royal Tyrrell Museum in 1997, and have been periodically reused by the museum and other touring exhibitions.
The exhibition was set up in each locale under large tents and consisted of several areas. The Great Hall, or "Boneworks",
featured not only dinosaur fossils but an interactive centre for children and several tables where guests could engage with CCDP researchers.
The final product also featured a recreation of one team's field camp.
Formations visited by year
1986
*
Eureka Sound Group
The Eureka Sound Group is a geologic group in Nunavut. It preserves fossils dating back to the Paleogene period.
See also
* List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Nunavut
This is a list of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Nunavut, Can ...
,
Ellesmere Island
Ellesmere Island ( iu, script=Latn, Umingmak Nuna, lit=land of muskoxen; french: île d'Ellesmere) is Canada's northernmost and List of Canadian islands by area, third largest island, and the List of islands by area, tenth largest in the world. ...
,
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...
(now
Nunavut
Nunavut ( , ; iu, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ , ; ) is the largest and northernmost Provinces and territories of Canada#Territories, territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the ''Nunavut Act'' ...
)
*
Isachsen Formation,
Axel Heiberg Island
Axel Heiberg Island ( iu, ᐅᒥᖕᒪᑦ ᓄᓈᑦ, ) is an uninhabited island in the Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. Located in the Arctic Ocean, it is the 32nd largest island in the world and Canada's seventh largest island. According ...
, Northwest Territories (now Nunavut)
*
Judith River Formation
The Judith River Formation is a fossil-bearing geologic formation in Montana, and is part of the Judith River Group. It dates to the Late Cretaceous, between 79 and 75.3 million years ago, corresponding to the "Judithian" land vertebrate age. It ...
,
Dinosaur Provincial Park
Dinosaur Provincial Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site situated a two hour drive east of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; or , about a half-hour drive northeast of Brooks.
The park is situated in the Red Deer River valley, which is noted for its strik ...
,
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
*
Shishugou Formation
The Shishugou Formation () is a geological formation in Xinjiang, China.
Its strata date back to the Late Jurassic period. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.Weishampel, David B; et al. (2004). "Din ...
,
Jiangjunmiao
Jiangjunmiao (Chinese: 将军庙, pinyin: Jiàngjūnmiào) is a ruin and fossil site in Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, China.
Geography
Jiangjunmiao is located in the Junggar Basin near the border with Mongolia, on a mesa and at th ...
,
Xinjiang
Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwest ...
1987
*
Ejinhoro Formation
The Ejinhoro Formation () is a geological Formation (geology), formation in Inner Mongolia, north People's Republic of China, China, whose strata date back to the Early Cretaceous period (Aptian/Albian age.Sereno, P.C. (2010). "Taxonomy, cranial mo ...
,
Ordos Ordos may refer to:
Inner Mongolia
* Ordos City, Inner Mongolia, China
**Ordos Ejin Horo Airport
* Ordos Loop of the Yellow River, a region of China
**Ordos Plateau or "the Ordos", land enclosed by Ordos Loop
*Ordos Desert, in Inner Mongolia
*Ordos ...
,
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Its border includes most of the length of China's border with the country of Mongolia. Inner Mongolia also accounts for a ...
*
Tugulu Group
The Tugulu Group () is a geological Group in Xinjiang, China whose strata date back to the Early Cretaceous
The Early Cretaceous ( geochronological name) or the Lower Cretaceous (chronostratigraphic name), is the earlier or lower of the two major ...
, Xinjiang
1988
*
Bayan Mandahu Formation
The Bayan Mandahu Formation (also known as Wulansuhai Formation or Wuliangsuhai Formation) is a geological unit of "redbeds" located near the village of Bayan Mandahu in Inner Mongolia, China Asia ( Gobi Desert) and dates from the late Cretaceous ...
,
Urad Rear Banner
Urad Rear Banner ( mn, , ; ) or Urad Houqi is a banner of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China. It is located in the west of the region, northwest of the city of Bayan Nur, which administers this banner, and border ...
, Inner Mongolia
*
Bayin-Gobi Formation
The Bayin-Gobi Formation () (also known as Bayan Gobi, or Bayingebi Formation) is a geological formation in Inner Mongolia, north China, whose strata date back to Albian of the Early Cretaceous period. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that ha ...
,
Alxa League
Alxa League or Ālāshàn League (; mn, , Mongolian Cyrillic. Алшаа аймаг) is one of 12 prefecture level divisions and 3 extant leagues of Inner Mongolia. The league borders Mongolia to the north, Bayan Nur to the northeast, Wuhai ...
, Inner Mongolia
* Ejinhoro Formation, Ejin Horo Banner, Inner Mongolia
*
Iren Dabasu Formation
The Iren Dabasu Formation (also known as Erlian Formation) is a Late Cretaceous geologic formation in the Iren Nor region of Inner Mongolia. Dinosaur remains diagnostic to the genus level are among the fossils that have been recovered from the fo ...
,
Erenhot
Erenhot ( mn, ; , commonly shortened to Ereen or Erlian) is a county-level city of the Xilin Gol League, in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, located in the Gobi Desert along the Sino-Mongolian border, across from the Mongolian town of Zam ...
, Inner Mongolia
* Shishugou Formation, Jiangjunmiao, Xinjiang
* Tugulu Group, Xinjiang
1989
* Eureka Sound Group, Ellesmere Island, Northwest Territories (now Nunavut)
*
Kanguk Formation,
Bylot Island, Northwest Territories (now Nunavut)
* Shishugou Formation, Jiangjunmiao, Xinjiang
*
Wucaiwan Formation,
Jimsar, Xinjiang
1990
* Bayan Mandahu Formation, Urad Rear Banner, Inner Mongolia
* Ejinhoro Formation, Ordos, Inner Mongolia
*
Gates Formation,
Grande Cache
Grande Cache is a hamlet in west-central Alberta, Canada within and administered by the Municipal District of Greenview No. 16. It is located on Highway 40 approximately northwest of Hinton and west of Edmonton. Grande Cache overlooks the Smok ...
, Alberta
* Iren Dabasu Formation, Erenhot, Inner Mongolia
* Shishugou Formation, Jiangjunmiao, Xinjiang
1991
* Judith River Formation, Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta
References
{{Reflist
1986 in paleontology
1987 in paleontology
1988 in paleontology
1989 in paleontology
1990 in paleontology
1991 in paleontology
Asian expeditions
North American expeditions
Paleontology in Canada
Paleontology in China
Canada–China relations