Paleontologists Discover Jurassic Fossils in Irkutsk Region

Paleontologists from Tomsk University and the Institute of the Earth’s Crust of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences discovered deposits in the Irkutsk region containing plant and animal fossils from the Jurassic period.

Fossils in the Irkutsk Coal Region

Scientists note that the Irkutsk coal region is a continental depression containing deposits of the Jurassic period. Therefore, it can be found the remains of dinosaurs. Scientists found the remains of two Jurassic fish in the area in 2020, and the remains of 25 fish species in 2022.

Rare Specimens Discovered

The scientific mission found this year, according to the university, many prints of plants and animals from the Jurassic period, including rare specimens.

Stepan Ivantsev, Associate Professor of the Department of Paleontology and Historical Geology at the Faculty of Geology and Geography of the University, says: “We discovered a ‘fern paradise’ and a group of different species, including very rare ones. During the work of the expedition, we found the remains of vertebrate animals of the Jurassic period: the remains of fish, the remains of beetles and leaf-legged shells, as well as the larvae of aquatic insects, such as Lepidoptera (stone flies) or mayflies.

Potential for More Discoveries

Thanks to this discovery, paleontologists have found another site with vertebrates, which increases the likelihood of finding the remains of dinosaurs and other Jurassic vertebrates in the Irkutsk basin. The information obtained will also make it possible to reconstruct all types of organisms in the Irkutsk basin at the beginning of the Early Middle Jurassic (about 175-180 million years ago).

Source: News