The Permian-Triassic great extinction and Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) of Meishan, which is located in Huzhou's Changxing county, made The First 100 IUGS Geological Heritage Sites list released on Oct 26.

The list was unveiled by the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) in celebration of the body's 60th anniversary in Zumaia, Spain.

The IUGS, founded in 1961, has 121 national members and represents over a million geoscientists. It is one of the World's largest scientific organizations.

This announcement will kick off an endeavor to designate geological sites from around the world that are iconic and recognized by the entire geoscience community for their impact in understanding the Earth and its history.

An IUGS Geological Heritage Site is a key place with geological elements and/or processes of international scientific relevance, used as a reference, and/or with a substantial contribution to the development of geological sciences throughout history, according to the IUGS.

In addition to the Permian-Triassic great extinction and GSSP of Meishan, six other geological heritage sites in China also made the top 100 list.