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Chinese scientists find huge dinosaur fossil field

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BEIJING, December 30 (RIA Novosti) - Chinese paleontologists have discovered probably the world's largest group of fossilized dinosaur remains in eastern China, Xinhua said on Tuesday.

The discovery, a 300-meter by 10 meter (984 feet by 33 feet) site with fossilized remains, was made near the city of Zhucheng in the Shandong Province, dubbed Dinosaur City, where excavation work has been ongoing since March.

Scientists found over 3,000 fossilized dinosaur bones, including a 2-meter skull of a large horned Ceratopsian, the first such finding outside of North America.

"The discoveries are expected to contribute to research on the mystery of dinosaur extinction," the agency quoted Zhao Xijin, the paleontologist in charge of the project, as saying.

Most of the fossils belong to herbivores of the genius Hadrosaurus, or duck-billed dinosaurs that lived around 80 million years ago.

The remains of previously unknown genera of Ankylosaurus, Tyrannosaurus and Ceolurus were also found in the area. Detailed research on the findings is expected to be released by the end of 2009.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences said over 7,000 fossilized dinosaur bones weighing over 50 metric tons have been unearthed in the area since the 1960s.

Digging at the site has been suspended due to poor weather, but will resume next spring. The government plans to set up a fossil park in the area later.

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