Flaming Cliffs
Encyclopedia
The Flaming Cliffs site, really Bayanzag ' onMouseout='HidePop("97134")' href="/topics/Haloxylon_ammodendron">saxaul
or red cliffs), is a region of the Gobi Desert
in the Ömnögovi Province
of Mongolia
, in which important fossil
finds have been made. It was given this name by American paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews
, who visited in the 1920s. The area is most famous for yielding the first discovery of dinosaur egg
s. Other finds in the area include specimens of Velociraptor
. The rock gives off a glowing orange
colour, hence the nickname.
Haloxylon ammodendron
The saxaul, black saxaul, sometimes sacsaoul or saksaul , is a plant belonging to the Amaranthaceae.-Description:The saxaul ranges in size from a large shrub to a small tree, 2-8 m tall. It has a brown trunk 4-10 cm in diameter. The wood is heavy and coarse and the bark is spongy and water-soaked...
or red cliffs), is a region of the Gobi Desert
Gobi Desert
The Gobi is a large desert region in Asia. It covers parts of northern and northwestern China, and of southern Mongolia. The desert basins of the Gobi are bounded by the Altai Mountains and the grasslands and steppes of Mongolia on the north, by the Hexi Corridor and Tibetan Plateau to the...
in the Ömnögovi Province
Ömnögovi Province
Ömnögovi is an aimag of Mongolia, located in the south of the country, in the Gobi Desert. Ömnögovi is Mongolia's largest aimag. The capital is Dalanzadgad....
of Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
, in which important fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
finds have been made. It was given this name by American paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews
Roy Chapman Andrews
Roy Chapman Andrews was an American explorer, adventurer and naturalist who became the director of the American Museum of Natural History. He is primarily known for leading a series of expeditions through the fragmented China of the early 20th century into the Gobi Desert and Mongolia...
, who visited in the 1920s. The area is most famous for yielding the first discovery of dinosaur egg
Dinosaur egg
Dinosaur eggs are represented today as fossils. They represent the product of egg laying activity and can offer clues as to how dinosaurs behaved. In some cases the embryonic dinosaur is preserved within the eggshell, and can be studied....
s. Other finds in the area include specimens of Velociraptor
Velociraptor
Velociraptor is a genus of dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur that existed approximately 75 to 71 million years ago during the later part of the Cretaceous Period. Two species are currently recognized, although others have been assigned in the past. The type species is V. mongoliensis; fossils...
. The rock gives off a glowing orange
Orange (colour)
The colour orange occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum at a wavelength of about 585–620 nm, and has a hue of 30° in HSV colour space. It is numerically halfway between red and yellow in a gamma-compressed RGB colour space, the expression of which is the RGB colour wheel. The...
colour, hence the nickname.
See also
- Djadochta FormationDjadochta FormationThe Djadochta Formation is situated in central Asia and dates from the Late Cretaceous Period. Laid down in the early Campanian, possibly starting in the latest Santonian, it is dated somewhat uncertainly at about 84-75 mya...
- List of dinosaur-bearing fossil sites (with link directory)