Otherwise known as zhangye danxia land-form is a colorful rock formation which came as a result of red sandstone and mineral deposits laid down over 20 million years ago.The hill consist of multicolored sandstone such as red, blue, green etc.
science has it that the mountain is a cretaceous sandstone that was deposited in China before the formation of the Himalayan Mountains. The sand was deposited with iron and trace minerals that provided it with the key ingredient to form the colors we see today.
According to history, a layered horizontal and flat stratigraphy was disrupted by the Indian Plate colliding into the Eurasian Plate approximately 55 million years ago. The once flat sandstone folded and resulted in the Rainbow Mountains we see today. This process uplifted mountain layers and exposed sedimentary rocks that were otherwise hidden below the surface of the earth. Weathering and erosion removed the overlying layers of continental siliciclastic rocks and exposed underlying formations with different mineralogy and chemistry.
With reference to travel corner, the coloration came through the process in which underground water moved through the sandstone grains and deposited trace minerals in between the grains, this precipitate then built up to a point where there was no longer any pore space between the individual grains, cementing them in place, so the color came about.
The Zhangye Danxia mountains tend to appear a different color pattern based on the climatic condition.
Besides the colorful ups and downs of this tourist attraction, Zhangye Danxia became popular through some photos on the internet, as a result of this UNESCO categorized the place as World Heritage Sites in 2010 for its natural uniqueness and for its several hidden caves behind the hills.
Can you believe that since its discovery, this place has served as a destination for hikers and therefore increased the income of the locals there.
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