Colored rocks of Zhangye Danxia China. Multi-colored rocks of Zhangye Danxia, China (20 photos). Colored rocks of Zhangye Danxia and how they were formed
The geological phenomenon of Zhangye Danxia is the result of deposits of sandstone and other minerals over 24 million years, forming an amazing natural wonder that resembles a multi-colored layer cake. Under the influence of the movement of tectonic plates, erosion and time, local landscapes took on various forms - pillars, towers, hills, grottoes and ravines, varying in shade, texture and size. Rocky formations, as if painted by an invisible artist’s brush, are full of scarlet, orange, yellow, gray-blue and green colors.
In 2010, the colorful mountains of Zhangye Danxia became a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in November 2011, the entire scenic area received the status of a national geopark.
The popularity of the colorful rocks in Zhangye does not stop growing - endless streams of tourists flock to them every day, eager to see this unusual natural attraction with their own eyes. In order to avoid pollution and damage to the unique landscape, it is prohibited to independently explore the Danxia Hills. You can only take walks through the protected area as part of a bus excursion. The entrance fee to the park is 40 Chinese yuan ($6). There is an additional mandatory fee of 20 Chinese Yuan ($3) for the excursion program. During the tour, the bus makes stops at four of the most scenic points of the reserve, where visitors are given the opportunity to quietly admire the surrounding landscapes. The total excursion time is 2-3 hours.
The best period to visit Zhangye Danxia Geopark is from June to September. Moreover, multi-colored landscapes acquire the most attractive appearance at dawn and before sunset - at this time the shades of the rocks continuously change.
Danxia Rocks lie an hour's drive west of the city of Zhangye, the best way to go is by taxi or your own car. From major cities in China, the most convenient way to get to Zhangye is by air via Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu Province. The cities of Zhangye and Lanzhou are connected by rail.
Colorful, as if painted with a brush, the cliffs of Zhangye Danxia were created by nature a long time ago. They appeared as a result of thousands of years of changes in the structure of the earth's rocks. The composition of the unique rocks is sandstone and ancient sedimentary rocks. Zhangye Danxia Rocks are located 30 km from Zhangye City in a national geological park. They attract tourists with their beauty who want to capture this beauty with their cameras. Would you like to take a couple of photos here?
A long time ago, on the site of the Zhangye Danxia Mountains there was a huge pool, which gradually dried up as a result of exposure to high temperatures. The sediment left at the bottom of the pool oxidized when exposed to oxygen and produced interesting red and copper shades of color. According to scientists, the Zhangye Danxia Mountains continue to change and grow to this day. Over the past 10,000 years, they have become higher by about 87 centimeters.
Since 2010, the Zhangye Danxia Colored Cliffs have been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Thanks to this, their popularity among tourists from all over the world has increased many times.
Here wooden paths were laid for tourists and safe viewing platforms were organized. Everyone could feel like they were part of this incredible beauty created by nature itself. Due to the popularity of colored rocks, the life of the quiet and peaceful town of Zhangye changed forever. Even I wouldn’t refuse to visit such a beautiful place that inspires me to create something bright, for example, a painting or a whole poem.
The best time to admire the colorful rocks is evening. In the rays of the setting sun, the rocks take on a fantastic look, and guides are ready to show you the observation deck from which Zhangye Danxia can be seen in full view.
Not only China can boast of such colorful and unique beauties, but Danxia Park is the largest. Its area is more than 300 square kilometers.
Once upon a time, the legendary Silk Road passed through the province of Gansu, and the city of Zhangye (at that time Ganzhou) was one of the richest cities in China. Now it is a small town surrounded by rice fields, where tourism plays an important role in the economy.
I want to look at such magical beauty again and again, marveling at what creative creations nature itself can create.
Colored rocks of Zhangye Danxia- an unusual place with a unique phenomenon, which is located in southern China. According to the Chinese magazine National Geography in 2009, this place became one of the most beautiful and unusual in the Celestial Empire. This picturesque place is located 30 kilometers from Zhangye Province in the Zhangye Danxia National Park. Here it is the most attractive and popular destination among tourists.
What makes this place unique is that over 24 million years, sandstone and other fossils were deposited on the rocks and formed layers of colorful dust. It feels like the talented artists of the world painted the rocks with bright colors: scarlet, yellow, blue, purple. And as a result of the movement of tectonic plates and various phenomena, rocks took the form of pillars, hills, towers and other forms.
The Zhangye Cliffs were taken under the supervision of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010, and a year later the entire area with colorful rocks was awarded the status of an international geopark.
The popularity of the colorful rocks in Zhangye does not stop growing - endless streams of tourists flock to them every day, eager to see this unusual natural attraction with their own eyes. In order to avoid pollution and damage to the unique landscape, it is prohibited to independently explore the Danxia Hills. You can only take walks through the protected area as part of a bus excursion. The entrance fee to the park is 40 Chinese yuan ($6). There is an additional mandatory fee of 20 Chinese Yuan ($3) for the excursion program. During the tour, the bus makes stops at four of the most scenic points of the reserve, where visitors are given the opportunity to quietly admire the surrounding landscapes. The total excursion time is 2-3 hours.
The best period to visit Zhangye Danxia Geopark is from June to September. Moreover, multi-colored landscapes acquire the most attractive appearance at dawn and before sunset - at this time the shades of the rocks continuously change.
Danxia Rocks lie an hour's drive west of the city of Zhangye, and it's best to travel by taxi or your own car. From major cities in China, the most convenient way to get to Zhangye is by air via Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu Province. The cities of Zhangye and Lanzhou are connected by rail.
Today there are a large number of interesting and fascinating places on the planet. One of these is located in China. Incredibly beautiful mountain ranges can bewitch and hypnotize everyone who looks at this miracle of nature. You will probably never see mountains with a similar color anywhere else. They are located in the vicinity of Gansu province and are a dream for any photographer. And it’s not without reason that here you can see hundreds of tourists and people jumping through the mountains with their cameras, trying to capture the most unique photo.
Colored rocks of Zhangye Danxia and how they were formed
The colored rocks of Zhangye Danxia have a pleasant rainbow coloring. All these colors, like a colored blanket, enveloped the area. Mostly red and rusty copper colors can be seen here. However, there are also other, completely unexpected colors. We inherited all this from the Cretaceous period. According to scientists, there was a large pool here more than 10 million years ago, with silt from the entire local area in it. During times of global warming, the reservoir completely dried out, but the sediment remained. After some time it oxidized and became rusty in color.
Since then, a crust of various colors began to form. About 70 million years ago, mountains began to gradually form and grow. The growth of rocks does not stop even today. This cannot be seen just like that. Scientists carried out all kinds of measurements, studies, examinations and found out that over the past 10 thousand years the mountains rose 0.87 m. It was also revealed that during their formation the local landscape and the structure itself changed several times. The color, of course, also did not remain unchanged. New colors were regularly added to it, and old ones faded or took on a different appearance over time. If you look at these mountains from the outside, you might think that mother nature, like an artist, painted them for the amusement of people. And from the photos, you might think that they couldn’t do without a photo editor. However, it is not. Everything is quite real, and you can be convinced of this if you see this mountainous area with your own hands.
How to get to Zhangye Danxia Cliffs?
Getting here is quite easy. The mountains are almost immediately visible when you are in the city of Zhangye. The colored rocks of Zhangye Danxia in China are becoming increasingly popular every year. Crowds of tourists flock here to enjoy the extraordinary beauty of these places. You can stay here and wander for hours without getting tired. Mountains attract you like a magnet. The city of Zhangye itself, in turn, does everything possible to ensure that every person is satisfied with their stay here. They made an excellent road in the mountainous area, and also built many boardwalks so that people could move freely or simply sit on the boards and relax, admiring the most beautiful pictures created by nature. It is worth noting that the UNESCO World Heritage Organization also could not resist the beauty of these mountains. The consequence of this was the inclusion of Zhangye Danxia Rocks in its list.
This is truly something unimaginable. Just think where else you can find such beautiful colored cliffs of Zhangye Danxia, which China values and is very proud of. Probably the answer will be clear. Nowhere! There are many mountains and colored massifs on earth, but they are all different from each other. But these mountains especially stand out among all earthly objects. These wave-like colors that cover the rocks are very interesting. You can look at them for hours, admiring how this could even happen. Nature knows how to surprise people. She gives people many surprises.
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