The first phase of karst in South China consists of Shilin karst in China, Libo karst in Guizhou and Wulong karst in Chongqing. On June 27th, 2007, it was selected as a World Natural Heritage at the 3 1 World Heritage Conference and was selected into the World Heritage List. Guilin, Shibing, Guizhou, Jinfo Mountain, Chongqing and Huanjiang, Guangxi formed the "South China Karst Phase II" project, which was selected as a world natural heritage through deliberation at the 38th World Heritage Conference on June 23rd, 20th/kloc-4th, as an extension of "South China Karst". Karst in southern China has the most remarkable karst landform types (such as steeple and cone karst) and magnificent and peculiar karst landscapes such as Tianshengqiao and Tiankeng, which is one of the most spectacular tropical to subtropical karst landform samples in the world.
In August, 2009, South China Karst World Heritage Site and American Mammoth Cave National Park (World Natural Heritage) became sister parks.
Karst, or karst, refers to the geological action of water on soluble rocks (carbonate rocks, gypsum, rock salt, etc.). ), mainly chemical dissolution, supplemented by mechanical effects such as scouring, undercurrent and collapse of running water, and the general name of the phenomena produced by these effects. The landform formed by karst is called karst landform.
Almost all provinces and regions in China have different areas of limestone, and karst landforms in China are widely distributed. The karst landform in southern China covers an area of 50,000 square kilometers, mainly distributed in Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Chongqing and other provinces. The karst area in southern China accounts for 55% of the total karst area in China. Various karst landforms show karst landforms from humid tropics to subtropical ones. [7]? .
representative area
edit
Yunnan Shilin
stone forest
Shilin, located in the hinterland of East Yunnan Plateau, is located in Shilin Yi Autonomous County, more than 70 kilometers away from Kunming. Shilin is a famous large-scale comprehensive tourist area integrating natural scenery, ethnic customs, leisure and vacation, and scientific investigation. Stone forest is dominated by karst landscape, and is famous for its "male, strange, dangerous, beautiful, quiet, Austrian and broad". It has the most peculiar karst landform (karst landform) landscape in the world and enjoys a high reputation in world geoscience. ? [7]?
Stone forest morphology
Shilin was formed 270 million years ago. After a long geological evolution and complex paleogeographic environment changes, it has formed an extremely precious geological relic today. It covers many types of karst landforms on the earth, and stone forests distributed all over the world seem to gather here. Its stone teeth, peaks, karst hills, caves, dissolved lakes, waterfalls and underground rivers are scattered all over the place, which is a typical plateau karst ecosystem and the richest three-dimensional panorama.
scenic spot
Shilin Scenic Area covers an area of 1 100 square kilometers, with a magnificent momentum. The protected area is 350 square kilometers, with mountains, water and colors. The whole area can be divided into eight tourist areas: Shilin Scenic Area, Heisongyan Scenic Area, Zhiyun Cave, Changhu Lake, Longfei Waterfall Scenic Area, Guishan National Forest Park, Moon Lake and Strange Wind Tunnel.
Among them, Shilin Scenic Area (central scenic area), Heisongyan Scenic Area, Longfei Waterfall Scenic Area and Changhu Scenic Area are developed as tourist areas. Entering a scenic spot is like stepping into just visiting and fully feeling the wonder of nature. Wandering in the maze of the seabed, the cliffs and rocky peaks in Wan Ren are lifelike, like tribes, castles and secluded cities, like birds and animals, and like everything on earth. The charm of Shilin lies not only in the natural landscape, but also in the unique indigenous customs of Sani in Shilin. The most influential ones are a poem, a shadow, a song and a paragraph. Ashima, an ancient narrative poem of Sani recorded in Yi language, has been translated into more than 20 languages and distributed at home and abroad, and has been adapted into China's first three-dimensional color film Ashima, which enjoys a high reputation overseas.
Sani's song "Guests from afar please stay" is famous all over the world. June 24th of the lunar calendar is the Torch Festival of Yi people, which is a traditional festival of Sani people. The carnival of wrestling, bullfighting and torch is very spectacular and is known as the "Oriental Carnival". ? [7]?
Libo Guizhou
Guizhou Libo aquatic forest
Libo County belongs to Qiannan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, bordering Guangxi. Maolan National Karst Forest Nature Reserve is located in the southeast of Libo County. It consists of three parts: southeast karst forest area, Dongting five-needle pine protection point, Jialiang town and Qixian arch karst forest popular science tourist area, with a total area of 2 1.285 hectares. Among them, the core area is 5827 hectares, the buffer area is 89 10 hectares, and the experimental area is 4588 hectares.
Since 1980s, Maolan Karst Forest has attracted some foreign explorers and travelers, but few people in China know about it, and crossing it is still full of challenges. In chinese national geography magazine's "The Most Beautiful Place in China" in 2005, Libo, Guizhou Province beat many "senior" famous mountain resorts, won the Internet popularity award as the "second place" and won the title of "The Most Beautiful Forest in China".
Libo karst virgin forest, aquatic forest and "funnel" forest are collectively called "three wonders of Libo". Although they grow in different spaces, some are in the mountains, some are in the water, and some are in the "tiankeng", they all live in a barren and fragile karst environment, and they are all forests growing on stones. This is also a miracle of harmony between man and nature.
According to the combination of karst landform and forest types, Libo karst virgin forest landscape can be further divided into four categories: funnel forest, depression forest, basin forest and valley forest. ? [7]?
Forest scenery
Funnel forest is a karst peak cluster funnel, covered with dense forest, surrounded by dense trees and mountains. There is a funnel-shaped sinkhole at the bottom, which looks like a huge dark green bird's nest. The general height difference from the bottom of the funnel to the top of the cone is150-300m, which is inaccessible to people, and everything remains original and natural.
Low-lying forest is a karst cone-shaped depression with extensive forest coverage, in which farmland houses are often distributed. The countryside is embedded between green peaks, and karst springs and underground rivers slowly flow out from the edge of the depression, which is clear and transparent, forming a beautiful pastoral forest scenery. Buyi people's quaint wooden houses, diaojiao buildings and small bridges add poetry and painting to the lowland forests.
Basin forest is a karst basin (valley), with a wide forest coverage and dense solitary peaks and peaks around it. The basin is open and flat with fertile fields and underground rivers. Up and down a piece of green, forming a magnificent basin forest landscape.
Valley forest is a karst valley covered with dense forest. The valley is hidden in the sun, with green karst peaks towering on both sides, boulders at the bottom of the valley and vines winding. There are many underground rivers exposed in the valley, the valley is different in width, the peaks on both sides are strewn at random, and the forest coverage rate is uncertain, forming a mysterious and quiet scenery.
"Water drops on the stone, and trees grow on the stone", which is another great wonder of Libo County-aquatic forest. Most of its trees are over 100 years old, and their roots are stained with dew and cling to boulders, and they are still lush under the impact of water. The aquatic forest with seven small arches is a rare place to go. There, the forest grows in clear water, clear water flows in the forest, boating in the water, the jungle is shaded, and piles of dense ferns are rushing out.
There are towering trees standing in the water, standing proudly, pointing to the sky, grasping the rocks at their roots and not being washed away by the flood. Boating in the 700-meter-long "water avenue" of Yuanyang Lake with seven small arches, the drooping branches in the water touch the bow from time to time, and the surrounding lake is as green as blue and very quiet. ? [7]?
Chongqing Wulong
Wulong karst
Wulong County is located in the southeast edge of Chongqing, downstream of Wujiang River, with Pengshui in the east, Daozhen County in Guizhou Province in the south, Nanchuan and Fuling in the west and Fengdu in the north. It is 0/70km away from downtown Chongqing/KLOC-and has been called "Chongqing-Guizhou Gate Screen" since ancient times. ? [9]? The scenic spots in Wulong include Furong Cave, the world's first cave, the largest Tiansheng Bridge Group in Asia, and Houping Tiankeng, a rare karst system in the world. ? [ 10]?
Furong Cave is a large limestone cave with a total length of 2,400 meters. The cave is tall and 30-50 meters wide, in which the building area of Huihuangtang is more than 1. 1 1,000 square meters. Various secondary chemical deposition forms (stalactites) in the cave are dazzling and colorful. Most of them are widely distributed, pure in texture and perfect in shape, which are rare in China.
In particular, coral-like and canine-like calcite crystals in ponds, and rockfill, calcite and gypsum crystals in various postures on cave walls are rare in China and rare in the world? [ 1 1]? . According to the plan, three scenic spots are developed, with about 30 main scenic spots, of which more than ten are the best scenic spots at home and abroad. ? [7]?
Geological wonders
Wulong Tiansheng Bridge is a rare geological wonder eco-tourism area in China, which belongs to a typical karst landform. The scenic spot is famous for its three magnificent stone arch bridges, namely Tianlong Bridge, Qinglong Bridge and Heilong Bridge, and belongs to the largest Natural Bridge Group in Asia.
Tiansheng Third Bridge is located in the south of fairy mountain, between fairy mountain and Wulong County. Tianlong Bridge is a natural bridge with a height of 200 meters and a span of 300 meters. Named for its first place and indomitable spirit. There is a hole in the bridge, and there is a hole in the hole. The entrance of the cave is like a maze, which is both spectacular and magical. Qinglong Bridge, the second natural bridge, is the natural bridge with the largest vertical height difference. The bridge is 350 meters high, 0/50 meters wide and 400 meters across. When the sun sets, it glows all around, flickering like a real dragon reaching the sky, hence the name Qinglong Bridge. The Black Dragon Bridge is the third natural bridge. Bridge opening is deep and dark, and the rock at the top of bridge opening is hidden here like a black dragon. The scenery of the Black Dragon Bridge is unique. There are four-eyed treasure springs with different flow patterns, such as "Sanmo Spring", "Yixian Spring", "Pearl Spring" and "Fog Spring". ? [ 10]?
Houping Tiankeng Group is located in Houping Township, Wulong, the hinterland of the Three Gorges on the Chongqing Yangtze River Three Gorges Golden Tourism Line, belonging to Wuling Mountain System, 88 kilometers away from Wulong County. The Houping Tiankeng Group attracted Chinese, British and American cave expeditions and Professor Zhu, president of China Cave Research Association, to make many investigations. Five sinkholes with a total area of 1.5 million square meters are hidden in virgin forests and bamboo forests. There are cliffs around the sinkhole, and there are underground holes under the sinkhole. There is a bigger sinkhole in the sinkhole. The diameter and depth of the five sinkholes are all about 300 meters, which are barrel-shaped. There are 6.5438+0.5 million mu of virgin forest and 30,000 mu of stone forests and reservoirs nearby, which are of great scientific research value and full of mystery.