Five Connected Lakes Volcanoes

Five Connected Lakes Volcanoes

The Five Connected Lakes Scenic Area and Five Connected Lakes Global Geopark are located in the central-northern part of Heilongjiang Province, China, at the transitional zone between the Lesser Khingan Mountains and the Songnen Plain. The Five Connected Lakes are a precious legacy left by Quaternary volcanic activity. Here, you’ll find beautiful mountains, serene waters, unique springs, peculiar rocks, and extraordinary caves—making it a high-value, multifunctional, and comprehensive international tourist resort that combines eco-tourism, leisure vacations, health and wellness, and scientific research. The scenic area features fourteen volcanoes, both old and new, with widely varying eruption dates ranging from over 2 million years ago in prehistoric times to just 280 years ago in more recent history—making it a world-class resource. It boasts the world’s most well-preserved, densely distributed, diverse, and typical volcanic geological landforms from both old and new periods. Fourteen towering volcanic cones rise from the earth, creating stunning mountain-and-lake scenery. Micro-landform landscapes such as stone dragons, lava seas, lava waterfalls, lava tunnels, lava stalactites, lava whirlpools, elephant trunk lava, overturned lava, fumarole cones and disks, volcanic gravel, and volcanic bombs present a dazzling variety of forms, earning them the title of “Natural Volcano Museum” and “Open Textbook of Volcanology” among scientists. Five lake pearls connected by flowing waters were formed when the latest volcanic lava filled the ancient, vast Udelin Basin Lake depression. This is how the Five Connected Lakes got their name. It is the second-largest volcanic barrier lake in China, with a complex and dynamic shoreline that alternates between narrow and wide sections, offering excellent scenic effects. The iron-silicon, calcium-magnesium bicarbonate mineral water found here is a world-renowned spring, celebrated as the “Divine Spring” and “Holy Water.” Alongside France’s Vichy Mineral Water and Russia’s North Caucasus Mineral Water, it is recognized as one of the “World’s Three Great Cold Springs.”