Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park, also known as Zhangye Geopark, is a small park about 40 km from Zhangye (China) where you can see a unique geological landscape, one of the highlights of Gansu province. Known for its colorful rock formations, it has been voted one of the most beautiful lands in China by the Chinese media. The park covers a field of action of 510 square kilometers. Previously a provincial park and scenic action field, it became a domestic geopark in November 2011.
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| Zhangye Geopark China |
Zhangye Danxia National Geopark is a huge geological park in China the size of Andorra. The name "danxia" means "red" or "pink clouds". It arose due to the fact that the local rocks resembled a red mist. There are at least 6 regions in China with similar rocks. Zhangye is the name of the area, translated as "the hand of the country, stretched towards the western edge." The park is famous for its unusual reliefs, consisting of lonely standing rock towers and striped multi-colored mountains.
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| Zhangye Geopark China |
This relief was formed under the influence of several factors. 80 million years ago, there were lakes and rivers in this place, which caused layers of chalk and red sandstone. Later, the water here dried up, and the landscape experienced uplift due to the collision of tectonic plates, which formed the Himalayan mountains. Weathering destroyed and reshaped these rocks for a long time, as a result of which weathering towers appeared and different layers of rocks were exposed.
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| Zhangye Geopark China |
Previously, the Great Silk Road passed through Zhangye Geopark, enriching the region. At one time, Marco Polo arrived in China through this area. After the significance of the path decreased, Zhangye became poorer, and the local rocks were forgotten by travelers for a long time. Only in the 21st century did the world remember these rocks, transformed by the Chinese government into a national park, which is now the main attraction of the region.