Archeologists in southwest China's province of Guizhou have reported the discovery of a conch fossil dating back over 100 million years.

Though totally fossilized, the 40-centimeter long conch remained intact, with a white surface, through which the texture of the ancient shell could be seen, said Liu Enyuan, of the Guizhou Provincial Archeology Institute.

Liu said the conch was found in a place called Liaojiazui, in Tujia Autonomous County of Yanhe, on the bank of the Wujiang River, a branch of the Yangtze, China's longest river.

Liu said conch fossils were often seen in Liaojiazui, a 5,000-square-meter area where fossilized seashells and fish are found in large numbers. "But this was the oldest and best preserved fossil we have ever found," he said.

Experts believe today's Guizhou Province was under the sea in prehistoric times and geological changes over the years helped form the region.

"Discovery of conch fossils and other ancient aquatic life in the region has provided important clues to geological changes along the Wujiang River," said Liu.
 
(Xinhua News Agency January 2, 2004)