A study of the Ilek Formation by paleontologists at Tomsk State University (TSU) reveals the ancient history of Western Siberia, stretching back more than 120 million years.

This work helped reconstruct the distant past, especially the evolution of an ancient river that played a key role in the formation of dinosaur oases.

It has been established that the Ilek Formation is heterogeneous in terms of accumulation time, with the eastern deposits probably being more ancient than the western ones. This formation was formed under the influence of an ancient river that flowed through the mountains and into the West Siberian Sea, with its evolution from braided to meandering channel reflected in natural formations such as Shestakovsky Yar, the Geological Society reports.

The oases along this ancient river provided rich ecosystems where remains of many ancient animal species, including dinosaurs and other vertebrates, were discovered. TSU paleontologists have discovered and described new species, such as the dinosaurs Psittacosaurus Sibirica and the sauropod Siberotitanus, as well as ancient crocodiles and birds.

The lack of exploration in the past is due to the focus of research on mineral exploration in the 20th century. However, modern efforts, including the drilling of a 200-meter well at Shestakovo, are providing a more complete understanding of the climatic and landscape conditions of the past. It is planned to create a stratotype section of the Ilek Formation to improve the understanding of this formation for future research.