Zhejiang Xinchang Petrified Wood National Geopark

Zhejiang Xinchang Petrified Wood National Geopark

Zhejiang Xinchang Petrified Wood National Geopark is a national geopark and a science education base.

Zhejiang Xinchang Petrified Wood National Geopark is situated in the Cretaceous Basin of Xinchang within the Mesozoic active zone of the southeastern continental margin of China, between longitude 120°46′00″ to 120°54′10″ and latitude 29°19′05″ to 29°30′30″, covering an area of 68.76 square kilometers. It is embraced by the Siming Mountains, Tiantai Mountains, and Kuaiji Mountains.

The geological relics within Zhejiang Xinchang Petrified Wood National Geopark form a unique natural landscape. Danxia landforms, the "Hundred Cliffs and Heavenly Candles" landform, magical petrified wood, and mountain streams together create a picturesque scene of "a thousand cliffs competing in beauty, ten thousand ravines rushing with streams." Especially notable are the exposed ancient Cretaceous forests (petrified wood from hundreds of millions of years ago)—within the area, six petrified wood burial layers have been identified, with over 300 petrified trees found across nearly 6 km². The largest has a diameter of up to 3.5 meters, earning it the title “King of China’s Petrified Wood.” The longest trunk reaches 16 meters. The burial patterns are clear and regular—some trees are upright, others lie diagonally, with roots or branches preserved. The degree of petrification is high, the stone is hard, shapes vary, and both wood grain and annual rings are distinctly visible. This site can be called a sacred place of Cretaceous sacred trees.

Xinchang Petrified Wood Park — Also referred to as Xinchang Petrified Wood Geological Park, this national geopark is hailed by experts as “a treasure trove of petrified wood, a representative of composite Danxia landforms, and a complete archive of volcanic activity.”

The park is located in the central-western part of Xinchang County, embraced by the Siming, Tiantai, and Kuaiji Mountains. It includes the Dafo Temple–Shili Qianxi Scenic Area, Chuanyan Nineteen Peaks–Tuotuoxue Scenic Area, and Wangjiaping Petrified Wood Cluster Scenic Area, covering a total area of 68.7 square kilometers.

Due to its location within the Cretaceous Basin of Xinchang in the Mesozoic active zone of the southeastern continental margin of China, the basin has clear boundaries, well-defined stratigraphic profiles, and distinct rock interfaces. It is a typical representation of the full process of occurrence, development, and evolution of the Cretaceous basins in southeastern China, holding significant scientific research, investigation, and educational value. The Lower Cretaceous Yongkang Group Guantou Formation petrified wood cluster covers an area of 6 square kilometers, where over 300 petrified trees have been discovered, including one that is 14 meters tall with a trunk diameter of 3.5 meters—absolutely spectacular.

Distribution of Sites — A total of 85 petrified wood clusters have been found within the Xinchang Geopark, mainly distributed in Xiashan Village of Huishan Town; Fen Shanjiao of Jingping Township; Dayong, Fotou, and Anxi of Jingling Town; Wangjiaping of Chengtan Town; and Suiqin of Meizhu Town. Among these, the Anxi–Wangjiaping area and the Suiqin area feature the most and highest-quality petrified wood cluster geological sites.

Petrified wood, also known as wood fossil or tree fossil, refers to trees that have turned to stone. Ancient trees were buried underground due to geological processes (such as volcanic ash from eruptions or mud and sand from floods). Isolated in sealed environments and cut off from air, the wood did not easily decay. Over long geological periods, the carbon in the wood was replaced by silica, preserving only the fibrous structure and external form of the trunk. According to records by Wang Yue, a prime minister of the Southern Song Dynasty, large quantities of petrified wood were discovered in Xinchang as early as 800 years ago. In recent years, more petrified wood has been found in Xinchang County. In 2002, geologists officially named a globally rare type of petrified wood discovered in Xinchang as “Xinchang Araucarioxylon”—based on its discovery location and origin. The discovery of Xinchang petrified wood provides a global reference standard for comparing Araucarioxylon species, and it holds important scientific significance for the study of global Cretaceous paleobotany, paleoclimatology, natural catastrophes, and the formation process of petrified wood.

In 1999, the Xinchang Tourism Bureau invested heavily to collect scattered petrified wood pieces from local residents and built a Petrified Wood Forest at the Dafo Temple in Xinchang. After subsequent expansion and renovation, it became a sizable Petrified Wood and Dinosaur Park. In 2004, a large number of dinosaur fossils were discovered in the Early Cretaceous strata of the Nanyan Scenic Area. Identified as the skeletal fossils of a lizard-like dinosaur, the estimated length of the dinosaur was about 10 meters, further proving that the Xinchang Basin was once a paradise for dinosaurs in the Early Cretaceous.