Taining World Geopark

Taining World Geopark, t泰宁世界地质公园, is located in Sanming city, Fujian Province, China. Taining Geopark features typical Danxia landform. Danxia is the name given to landscapes developed on red sedimentary beds influenced by internal forces like uplifting forces and external forces including weathering and erosion. The landform is characterized by spectacular red cliffs and a range of erosion landforms, including dramatic natural pillars, towers, ravines, valley sand waterfalls. These rugged landscapes have helped to conserve sub-tropical broad-leaved evergreen forests, and host many species of flora and fauna, many of which are considered rare or threatened.
The Taining World Geopark is located in the middle part of the Wuyi Mountain range, northwest of Fujian Province. Its Danxia landform was developed during the late cretaceous period, about 65 million years ago. The park consists of ancient Taining town and four scenic areas, including stony desert, Golden Lake, Baxian Cliff, and Jinrao Mountain. The special geological landform, dense forest and winding rivers have made it a perfect place for both geological research and sightseeing.
The Geopark covers an area of492. 5 square kilometers, and Danxia landforms account for nearly half of it, which is about 250 square kilometers. It's the largest one in southeast China. The Danxia here displays characteristic rounded slopes and bell-shaped mountain summits, separated by deeply incised, narrow valleys and gorges. Incision Into some faults and joints had been so rapid that there is little lateral erosion of the walls, producing deep, long and extremely narrow clefts, some less than body-width. For millions of years, Taining has recorded the formation and development process of the West Pacific continental margin of the cretaceous period, and retained the distinct ancient plantation surface, which shows a process of erosion where a level surf ace is produced.
Taining Geopark maintains a primitive and biologically diversified ecosystem.90% of the area is in its pristine state. Although there are many bare rock surf aces, a large area is forested, with a large variety of rare plants, 30 of which are under state protection. Following there-location of former residents from the Geopark, many previously cultivated areas are being brought back to their natural state.