Stone Forest

Stone Forest (Shilin) is a remarkable region of limestone columns. It is in Yunnan Province, China. Two parts of the site, the Naigu Stone Forest and Suogeyi Village are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. They are part of the South China Karst.^[1] The site is classified as a AAAAA-class tourist site.^[2] This is the highest rating in the Chinese tourist system.

Formation

The stone forests formed some 270 million years ago in what was a shallow sea. They are mostly limestone, with some sandstone. Horizontal strata were laid down in the basin, and later was pushed up into the air. The limestone in the rocks was then eroded by wind and water to create these spectacular stone pillars. There is a very similar "forest" in Melarky, Madagascar, known as the Tsingy.

References

[1]
"Twenty-two new sites inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List, and one deleted during Committee meeting in Christchurch". UNESCO World Heritage Convention. June 29, 2007. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
[2]
Ryan, Chris; Huimin, Gu (2009). "Destination planning in China". Tourism in China: Destination, Cultures and Communities (1 ed.). Taylor & Francis. pp. 11–37. ISBN 9780203886366.

[UNESCO-1] [1]
"Twenty-two new sites inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List, and one deleted during Committee meeting in Christchurch". UNESCO World Heritage Convention. June 29, 2007. Retrieved February 17, 2011.

[2] [2]
Ryan, Chris; Huimin, Gu (2009). "Destination planning in China". Tourism in China: Destination, Cultures and Communities (1 ed.). Taylor & Francis. pp. 11–37. ISBN 9780203886366.

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