Zhucheng in Shandong province is known locally as dinosaur 恐龙 city and has been the scene of several important finds since the 1960s.

But researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences say a fossil field 化石场 discovered during mining explorations 矿产开采 earlier this year appears to be the largest in the world.

3000 dinosaur bones have been dug up from a single pit 坑 just a few hundred metres long and several thousand others have been unearthed 挖掘 at a number of sites nearby.

State media say the find includes tyrannosaurus 暴龙 bones as well as what could be the largest duck-billed 鸭嘴恐龙 dinosaur ever excavated 挖掘.

Most of the fossils dated so far go back to the late Cretaceous period白垩时代, which is around the time when dinosaurs became extinct 灭绝.

The scientists say the discovery of so many remains in a small area could provide clues 线索 as to how they died out.

Detailed research on the fossil find is due to be published later next year but further excavations will take place in the meantime and the researchers are hoping to find even more dinosaur remains 遗迹.