The 5.2 earthquake that struck southwest China's Yunnan Province early November 25 morning did not harm the Chengjiang animal fossil site, acknowledged as one of the most important geological discoveries of the 20th century.

The epicenter of the earthquake was 20 kilometers from the Chengjiang Paleontology Protection Zone on top of Maotian Mountain, the original discovery site.

One worker at the fossil site saw no damage to the fossils in spite of the strong tremble, and a further survey showed that the fossils are safe and sound, according to Yang Yingkang, a staff member of the protection zone.

Chengjiang fossils include large quantities of tiny multicellular animals and their embryos, which have proved to be the earliest multicellular animals on Earth and are more than 20 million years older than similar finds in Australia, which had been regarded as the earliest such animal. Their discovery has led to significant breakthroughs in attempts to understand the evolution of life.

The Chengjiang fossil site, together with the finds in Australia and the Burgess Shale in Canada discovered earlier this century, are the three most important resources for examples of the

earliest life forms on Earth.