Danxiashan is located to the northeast of Shaoguan City in Guangdong Province. It became an UNESCO global geopark in 2004 and a world heritage site in 2010. It has a total area of 290 km2, and half of it is covered by a ‘Danxia landform’ composed mainly of red multi-layered sandstones and conglomerates. The highest peak is Bazhai, in an elevation of 619 m. The Danxia landform was formed in a basin 140–65 million years ago and was subject to uplift, erosion by water and rockfalls. The red colour of the landscape is the result of a warm and wet climate, which enhanced oxidation in the sandstones and conglomerates. It is geologically significant for the studies of the evolution of the Earth’s crust. The area contains rock outcrops from the Sinian, Palaeozoic, and Mesozoic to Cenozoic. The Cretaceous sedimentary strata that form the present landscape are particularly important for studying the life and distinction of dinosaurs, mammal evolution and the related regional stratigraphic...
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(2020). Danxiashan Global Geopark, China. In: Chen, A., Ng, Y., Zhang, E., Tian, M. (eds) Dictionary of Geotourism. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2538-0_468
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2538-0_468
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