The research on the dividing line between Cretaceous and Tertiary periods, or the K/T Boundary, could provide an important clue to the extinction of dinosaurs, said leading scientist Sun Ge, of Jilin University.

    Scientists from China, the United States, Russia, Germany and other countries chose a stratum section in Jiayin County, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, and collected fossil samples, hoping to find evidence of sudden loss of life and ensuing revival at that time.

    Sun said the K/T Boundary, several centimeters thick, was regarded as the time "point" when the depopulation occurred.

    The Cretaceous period marked the end of the Mesozoic era during which dinosaurs ruled the planet, while the Tertiary period was the beginning of the Cenozoic era when humans evolved.

    Scientists have claimed the discovery of K/T boundaries in North America and other regions, where findings of large increases of the radioactive element, iridium, were the possible result of a meteor strike.

    Scientists have discovered in Jiayin County fossils of dinosaurs living just prior to the sudden depopulation and fossils of flora that appeared immediately after.

    They say the fossils discovered in Jiayin have a correlation with fossilized organisms found in K/T boundaries elsewhere. The Jiayin fossils also feature special characteristics in formation and type.

    The stratum environment in Jiayin is also superior to K/T boundaries in North America and Russia, according to the scientists.

    The research program, initiated by Jilin University, is supported by the State Natural Science Fund Committee of China. The final results are expected to be released at the end of this year.

    Experts say the results could be used as reference to prevent a possible future cataclysmic event and to curb the effects of current environmental degradation. Enditem