Resources Value

The Zhangye Geopark, located on the northern slope of the Qilian Mountains and in the transitional zone between the Qilian Mountains and the Hexi Corridor, consists of various vegetation categories including grasslands, bushes, meadows and forests, and is home to rare animals such as snow leopards and white-lipped deers, thus having high value of ecological conservation. The Heihe River is the second largest inland river in northwestern China, and is dubbed the “mother river of the Hexi Corridor.” Its main stream, the Liyuan River, flows through Zhangye Geopark. The Heihe Canyon, which features geological heritage such as V-shaped valleys, scabland landform, and valley landslide groups, is an ideal geotrail in the geopark, attracting numerous visitors for its unique landscapes and high scientific value.

The geopark boasts diverse geological heritage, of which the most prominent are the Nine-Springss ophiolite suite, colorful hills, and window-lattice and palace-style Danxia landform. The Nine Spring ophiolite suite has long been a hot spot of research for Chinese and foreign geologists. In view of its importance in global comparative research, it was designated as a field trip of the 30th International Geological Congress in 1996. In 2018, it is an important station of the "Australian-China Tectonics and Earth Resources Joint Center (ACTER)" field investigation route. The Nine-Springs ophiolite suite is one of the first spots in China that began ophiolite suite research, which laid a solid foundation for the country’s plate tectonic studies. The Zhangye Geopark is known as the place from which the names of “colorful hills” and “window-lattice and palace-style Danxia landform” derived. Colorful hills in Zhangye are comprised of sandstone monoclines with diverse colors. With the changes of weathers and topographies, they may display rainbow-colored hues and have thus been cited as one of the Top 10 Geographical Wonders of the World by the U.S.-based National Geographic. Unlike the Danxia landform of southern China, Zhangye’s Danxia landform is a typical Danxia landform in dry climatic zone that boasts well-preserved evolution process and diverse types. It is one of the most mature Danxia landforms around China. The colorful hills and Danxia landform in Zhangye enrich the planet’s landform types and are of great scientific importance for the research of the earth surface evolution process.

The geopark is situated in the Sunan Yugur Autonomous County, the only Yugur Autonomous County in China, where people from several ethnic minorities such as the Yugur, Mongolian and Tibetan people live together. There, tourists can experience strong ethnic feature and unique ethnic culture through traditional customs, ethnic costumes and folk arts.

The Zhangye Geopark is the only geopark in China that integrates Danxia landform, colorful hills, and Nine-Springs ophiolite suite. For its rareness and uniqueness in scientific research, it is of high scientific, aesthetic and geotourism value. Moreover, the geopark boasts profound culture, strong ethnic feature and captivating natural scenery. For this reason, Zhangye Geopark has become an ideal place to conduct scientific investigation and education, enjoy recreation and entertainment, and experience diverse ethnic cultures.