Dinosaur Tracksite in Seoyu-ri, Hwasun

Site details

The Dinosaur Tracksite in Seoyu-ri, Hwasun is a fossil site discovered in strata dating back about 90 million years to the Late Cretaceous Period of the Mesozoic Era. It was excavated and studied in 1999 by the Korea Dinosaur Research Center of Chonnam National University during a survey for the development of Hwasun Hot Springs. Comprising five fossil-bearing layers, the site contains an exceptionally high concentration with more than 1,500 dinosaur footprints and some 70 trackways within a relatively small area measuring 60 by 54 meters. Another distinctive feature of the Seoyu-ri site is that about 88 percent of the footprints found here were made by carnivorous dinosaurs. Among them, a 52-meter-long carnivorous dinosaur trackway is an extremely important fossil record, as it made it possible for the first time in the world to estimate a dinosaur’s acceleration. In recognition of this value, the site was designated as a Natural Monument in 2007. A major geosite in the Mudeungsan UNESCO Global Geopark, the tracksite has continued to draw scholarly attention in recent years. These studies have produced significant scientific findings, including Korea’s first evidence for group behavior by pterosaurs, as shown by the discovery and analysis of some 350 pterosaur track fossils. Visitors can also observe plant fossils, such as petrified wood, found together with the dinosaur tracks, as well as various sedimentary structures, including ripple marks and mud cracks.