Natural Heritage · Late Cretaceous fossils
Flaming Cliffs
Red sandstone cliffs in the Gobi, famous for the first discovery of dinosaur eggs, made by Roy Chapman Andrews's expeditions in the 1920s.
- Location
- Ömnögovi aimag
- Type
- Late Cretaceous fossils
- Key Fact
- First dinosaur eggs found, 1920s
About the Site
Bayanzag, "rich in saxaul", was named the Flaming Cliffs by the American explorer Roy Chapman Andrews, who came here in the 1920s and was struck by its red-orange sandstone. It is also called Ulaan Ereg, "red cliffs".
The cliffs expose rocks of the Djadochta Formation from the Late Cretaceous. They are most famous for the first discovery of dinosaur eggs, and have also yielded Velociraptor specimens and early mammals.
What to See
- The red cliffs, at their most vivid in the evening light
- The setting of one of the great fossil discoveries of the 20th century
- Saxaul scrub on the plain below, which gives Bayanzag its name
Visiting
- In Ömnögovi, usually combined with Dalanzadgad, Yolyn Am and Khongoryn Els on a Gobi circuit.
- Removing fossils without a permit is illegal.
Sources
Also in the Region