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Stone Forest Found in Hainan
Geologists have discovered in southern Hainan Province a stone forest, which is similar to a tropical rain forest, a phenomenon rarely found elsewhere.
The Xian'an stone forest, located in the village of Qianlong, Baoting County, covers an area of 350,000 square meters, including 170,000 square meters of exposed karrens.
The karrens, standing on the 700-meter-high Xian'an Hill, are mostly three to four meters tall; there are also some 10-15 meter ones, and the tallest is 35 meters.
In the stone forest are a large number of water-eroded caves different in size and shape. In some of the caves are streams where people can boat.
Experts said that the place was under the sea 400 million years ago. Crustal movement made the thick limestone deposited on the seabed upthrust and later turned into the unique karst landforms through long-time erosion by wind and rain.
Another stone forest in China, located in southwest Yunnan Province, covers 26,666 hectares. The Yunnan Stone Forest was designated a state-level scenic spot in 1982.
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