Rainbow Mountains Of China

Zhangye Danxia Landform Geological Park, Chinese Rainbow Mountains in Zhangye

Source:- http://www.chinahighlights.com/zhang...gical-park.htm

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The Zhangye Danxia landform area is known as “the eye candy of Zhangye”. Many artists admire this masterpiece as it is unbelievably colorful, like an imaginative oil painting .

Zhangye's Danxia landscape has lots of precipitous red cliffs, most of which are several hundred meters high, and multicolored ridges of weathered strata, sometimes stretching to the horizon. These formations, sometimes smooth sometimes sharp, stand out against the greens or grays of the plains , looking grand and magnificent, vigorous and virile.

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Across the Danxia landscape zone, a kaleidoscope of numerous red rocky outcrops resemble weird and wonderful shapes like castles, cones, towers ; as well as humans, creatures, birds and beasts. Their peaks peeping through the mist and clouds, produce mirage-like scenery of fantastic mountains and pavilions.

The Guardian featured Zhangye's Danxia Landforms in pictures, and called this fantastic landscape "China's rainbow mountains".

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How Was It Formed?

Zhangye Danxia Landscape
Zhangye 's Danxia was formed by the erosion of red sandstone, forming isolated peaks and steep stratified outcrops. Its special geological structure, combined with long-term desert conditions , freeze-thaw peeling, and wind and water erosion gave rise to its present appearance.

Geologists believe that Danxia topography is formed by folding of layered oceanic crust. Exposed slanting rock layers have different colors, textures, shapes, sizes, and patterns. The combination of differences in density and erosion create towering peaks, cave holes, and stone halls.

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Getting to the Viewing Platforms Inside the Park

The Danxia national park is located close to the city of Zhangye — about 30 minutes west by car, in northwestern China’s Gansu Province.

There are sightseeing cars available within the national park, where other tourist buses are not allowed to go. The distance between the four viewing platforms is around eight kilometers (5 miles), and it takes about 2 hours to finish the whole trip when taking the sightseeing cars.

The first viewing platform is the nearest and best viewing platform, 10 minutes’ walk from the entrance.
The second viewing platform has it s base about 10 minutes’ walk from the premier viewing platform, but it takes a lot of effort to get to the top. Being the highest viewing platform, with 666 steps, which require about 30 minutes’ climbing, a panorama of the scenic area can be enjoyed.
The third viewing platform allows a view of the famous 'seven-color fan'.
The fourth viewing platform is the largest viewing platform. It is on a ridge which runs from east to west. Standing on the ridge and looking south you can feast your eyes on the variegated colors of Qicai Shan (七彩山 /chee-tseye shan/ 'Seven-Color Mountain'). It is the perfect place for catching pictures of a sunrise or sunset.

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The Best Time to Visit

Colorful Zhangye Danxia
The best time to visit Zhangye is from June to September when the weather is comfortable, and the combination of strong sun and a little rain brings out the colors more. The rest of the year is very dry. Zhangye is well below freezing and windy in winter — not recommended.

It is best to visit in the morning and at dusk, especially at sunset, when the colors change continuously, showing yellow and red layers covered by a light gray layer.
The rocky bands are well defined with colourful stripes, and, if it rains the day before, this color will be more gorgeous.
Try not to go when it is cloudy or raining, as only when there is sunshine will these mountains show you their gorgeous colors.

Sunset time: 7:30 pm in spring and autumn ; 8:00 pm in summer
Our local guide knows the best times, and will arrange your tour to make sure you get the most beautiful scenes.

Danxia National Geological Park VS Binggou Danxia Park

Binggou Danxia Park.
There is another Danxia park in Zhangye — Binggou (Ice Valley) Danxia Park, which is a bit farther from Zhangye City (1 hour) than the national geological park.
Bingou has steep rocks, with fewer less-appealing colours.
Danxia Geological National Park is the choice of most travelers.
Frances.

hmm, that's certainly strange.

nice find. frances.

unless I missed something, there's no explanation for the actual colorations.

it's described as "erosion of red sandstone." that doesn't explain the prismatic colors.

I've never seen sky blue, lime green, plum purple, etc. rock stratas.

did I miss something or are these unique rock colors unexplained?

Source:- http://gizmodo.com/these-rainbow-mou...l-w-1486764277

Here's the story, as I understand it: Over millions of years, layers of different types of rock—including red sandstone and a whole lot of mineral deposits—formed on top of one another. Normal so far. But then, 40 or 50 million years ago, gigantic force of tectonic plates forced an island—the future India—into a collision course with the rest of Eurasia.

These Rainbow Mountains Are China's Secret Geological Wonder

The catastrophic impact took place in slow motion: Over 50 million years, India—moving at about 27 feet per century—crushed into the larger continent, creating rifts of fractured rock and creating mountain ranges like the Himalayas. Over in the future Chinese province of Gansu, the collision disrupted the layer cake of red rock and minerals, too. Imagine a piece of paper with lines drawn on it—then imagine crumpling it up. The "rainbow" patterns we see at Danxia are the result of a similar crumpling, which explains their perfect striation.

Danxia was mapped by Chinese archaeologists in the 1920s and 30s, and it remained relatively unknown outside of the region—but that's quickly changing. It received protection as a UNESCO heritage site in 2009, and though Gansu is landlocked and lesser populated than more easterly provinces, it hasn't been immune to the rapid development of its neighbors, either—and the boom in tourism reflects that.

The above is what I was able to pick up from the Internet.
Frances.

has anyone ever seen lime green rock strata?

how about day-glo orange?

how about robin's egg blue?

then rippled like neapolitan ice cream?

eroding mineral stone just doesn't seem to explain it.

can this china valley be the one and only instance of this prismatic strangeness?

or are those images manipulated?

I'm still scratching my head.

(btw: I do trust that this colorful range is real.)

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Images from Google Earth.
It's quite possible that the colours have been exaggerated to make them more vivid.
Frances.

Amazing France's i would like to add these below.Some places are truly remarkable.Check these out below of stunning colors of remote red land.

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Dongchuan Red Earth, a rural area in Yunnan, China,

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Photographers first “discovered” this very rural location with gorgeous scenery in the mid 1990s. China Trekking added, “The first came and scooped award-winning photos, but kept their location a closely guarded secret. But slowly the details leaked and now more and more photographers are making their arduous trip into the arid mountains. The brilliant red soil, the yellow buckwheats and the dramatic skies make the region around Dongchuan a paradise for photographers.”

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Village among Dongchuan’s Red Earth, but some call it Red Land. A reviewer called it a “photographer’s heaven” while another says “Heavens color palette on earth.”

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Sunset at Luo Xia Valley, Dongchuan, Yunnan. Atlas of Wonders said, “There is some consensus to use the descriptive title of Dongchuan Red Land,” but the “area has also been known as Lexiaguo or Luoxia Gou Valley, which is actually the name of one of the most beautiful places on the route

China Yunnan Dongchuan Red Land scenery
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH7dUV2M9Nk

Just keeps getting better, beautiful photographs.
Frances.

After seeing your Photograps, Malc, I don't think the mountain photograph colours have been exaggerated.

Frances and Malc what a great find! I am amazed and speechless at such visual beauty. I have hard time thinking this was created by accident or whatever has been said to that effect. STUNNING.

This reminds me of Canyon de Chelly near the Grand Canyon in AZ.

It too has those very same colors and more.
On days of clear sky's, at or near sunrise or sunset, the colors can 'glow'.

It can be mesmerizing.

JJ

Yes it does. I lived in Tsaile, Az for three years right on the rim of Canyon de Chelly and also thought of it when viewing these as it is quite stunning right here in the USA as are many of the red rock formations and cliff dwellings often times decorated with remnant colored stone matching the terrain. Its not a bad tour through the canyons either and you get to do it on a six wheel drive super size x military deuce and a half truck!

Back in the mid 80's I was visiting the grand canyon and de Chelly and more.
It happened to be a full moon that was rising just above the horizon just before sunset.

I came around a corner on my bike and I nearly fell over right then and there.

I managed to park the bike and just stared at the panorama before me.
I was transfixed by the scene unfolding right before my very eyes.
EVERY color of the rainbow and then some were in full view and they were all changing hues and morphing as the sun continued to set and the full moon rose.

Their combined light made everything glow and the scene was mesmerizing and enthralling to the degree that I couldn't move.
All I could do was stare and remain in awe of the sight before me.

I did try to take a picture but I knew it could NEVER capture that scene.

It made an indelible impression to this very day.

It is a magical place.

JJ