100 mln-year-old dinosaur footprints designated as Korea's natural monuments

연합뉴스 / 2021-09-30 10:00:20

▲ This file photo shows the footprints left by the Cretaceous dinosaurs and Pterosaurs. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Sept. 30 (Yonhap) -- Jinju City announced Tuesday that footprint fossils left in large quantities by various animals, including the Cretaceous dinosaurs and pterosaurs of the Mesozoic Era has been designated as a natural monument No.566 in Jeongchon, Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province.

Last month, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced that will designate the "Tracksite of Cretaceous Dinosaurs and Pterosaurs in Jeongchon, Jinju," a document showing the behavior patterns and environment of animals that lived on the Korean Peninsula about 100 million years ago.

In Jeongchon, Jinju, around 10,000 fossil footprints have been found in fossil mountainous areas and it is considered to have high footprint density and left by various animals.

The footprints left are considered to be well preserved and from diverse animals.

Out of the footprints found in Jeongchon, the smaller ones only measure up to 2 centimeters long while those of herbivorous dinosaurs have 1 meter long back foots. Reptiles such as pterosaurs, crocodiles and turtles have been identified as well.

Meanwhile, Jinju City plans to form contents on pterodactyl footprints (Jinju Pterosaur Tracks Museum) and dinosaur bone fossils, which are rare in Korea, in honor of the footprints designated as a natural monument.

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