China's First 11 National Geological Parks Designated

The Zhangjiajie Gritstone-peak Forest, which is now on UNESCO's World Heritage list, China's best preserved cluster of volcanoes and geological features in northeast Heilongjiang Province, and dinosaur fossil ground found in Zigong, Sichuan, are among China's first group of 11 national geological parks, Chinese Ministry of Land and Natural Resources announced Friday.

The spectacular landscapes were singled out from China's diversified geological features by a special leadership panel and an appraisal committee on the national geological relics composed by administrative officials and experts from various central functional departments.

Among rare geological resources, karst geological erosion, volcanoes, glaciers and marine abrasion geological features usually record thousands and even millions of years of biological history on earth.

The establishment of the national parks is conducive to combining tourist development and scientific research, and is a prelude of the country's preparation for the application for UNESCO's world geological park project, said experts with the appraisal committee.

The UN organization is addressing the project, which would name 20 geological landscapes annually, if it is passed across-the- board. China, as one of the few countries to boast an abundance of geological resources, has been designated by UNESCO to pilot the operation of geological parks.

Sources with the ministry said the project might set a quota of 300 geological parks across the world so as to establish a geological relics protection network.

Xu Rongxuan, deputy mayor of Zigong, Sichuan Province in southwest China, where large amounts of dinosaur fossils were found, said the city has approved 8.7 square kilometers of land for the national geological park. It has planned to contact a visual effects company, which designed the Hollywood blockbuster movie, "Jurassic Park," to help arrange a 10,000 square-meters fossil exhibition hall in the park.

He disclosed that the dinosaur fossil hall will imitate the structure of the Museum of Terra-cotta Warriors in Xi'an, which take both tourism and scientific research into account.

Officials with the ministry said that China will approve more national geological parks in the next five to 10 years, which would become important educational bases for popular science.

The first group of 11 national geological parks in China are as follows:

Karst Stone Forest National Geological Park in Yunnan;

Zhangjiajie Gritstone Peak Forest National Geological Park in Hunan;

Songshan Mountain Stratum Structure National Geological Park in Henan;

Lushan Mountain Quaterary Period Glacier National Geological Park in Jiangxi;

Chengjiang River Palaeo-Animal Fossil National Geological Park in Yunnan;

Wudalianchi Volcano Cluster National Geological Park in Heilongjiang;

Zigong Dinosaur Palaeon National Geological Park in Sichuan;

Zhangzhou Coastal Volcano National Geological Park in Fujian;

Cuihua Mountain Avalanche Geological Hazard National Geological Park in Shanxi;

Longmen Mountain Tectonic Geology National Geological Park in Sichuan;

Longhu Mountain Danxia Geological Erosion National Geological Park in Jiangxi.






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