Sichuan Longmen Mountain National Geopark

Sichuan Longmen Mountain National Geopark

Sichuan Longmen Mountain National Geopark is a national geopark.

On October 27, 2000, approved by the Ministry of Land and Resources, Longmen Mountain Geopark was among the first to be designated as a National Geopark. Through a long history of geological evolution, this geopark has developed complex geological features, with complete stratigraphic records.

Longmen Mountain is a world-famous peak with a civilization history of 5,000 years. In ancient times it was known as Chaping Mountain or Jian Mountain, also called Dragon Mountain. The earliest recorded hero of water control in Chinese history — Yu the Great — was born in Longmen Mountain. It is also named Longmen Mountain to commemorate Yu’s “carving open of the Longmen, forging of the Nine Tripod Cauldrons, and taming of the floods.”

Longmen Mountain has an impressive geological age of 3.7 billion years. Over this time, it has experienced numerous earth-shattering tectonic movements, which have shaped its current geological features and sculpted its present landforms. It stands like a grand gateway between the Sichuan Basin and the Western Sichuan Plateau.

Longmen Mountain stretches over 500 kilometers from Guangyuan in the northeast to Luding in the southwest, and is 30–70 kilometers wide. Sichuan Longmen Mountain National Geopark is located in the middle section of the Longmen Mountain structural belt. Its southwestern end starts from Cifeng in Pengzhou and extends northeast to Taiping in Mianzhu, spanning approximately 55 kilometers in length and 35 kilometers in width. It encompasses the three cities of Pengzhou, Shifang, and Mianzhu, covering a total area of over 1,900 square kilometers. Geographic coordinates: 103°37′ – 104°12′ East Longitude; 31°04′ – 31°46′ North Latitude.

The Longmen Mountain structural belt is characterized by thrusting and sliding. Sichuan Longmen Mountain National Geopark is a microcosm of this structural belt, representing its most typical and representative features. This has naturally endowed the “park” with abundant and diverse landscapes. There are five main types of scenic attractions: the “Flying Peaks” group, mountain and water canyons, Danxia landforms, the legendary homeland of the Great Yu, and the birthplace of Taoism. Among these, the “Flying Peaks” group and peak-cluster karst caves, which hold the highest scientific research, exploration, and sightseeing value, along with the natural landscape canyon of Yin Cang Gully and the Taoist birthplace of Yangping Zhi, are mainly concentrated within Pengzhou.

Longmen Mountain National Geopark is located within the territories of Pengzhou, Shifang, and Mianzhu cities in Sichuan Province, covering a total area of 1,900 square kilometers. Its primary geological features include thrust structures (flying peaks) or “glacial erratics,” landforms, and stratigraphic sections.

Longmen Mountain National Geopark is a representative microcosm of the world-renowned Longmen Mountain thrust belt. It boasts well-developed strata and numerous flying peaks that rival those in the European Alps, holding significant geological importance. The park also contains ancient glacial remains and classic stratigraphic sections, making it a “geological science labyrinth” in the eyes of geologists.

In addition, the geopark is home to rich flora and fauna and a well-preserved ecosystem. With its superior location, it serves as an excellent destination for leisure, vacation, and sightseeing.

Rare sponge reefs, internationally renowned lepidodendron fossils, ancient bedrock, mysterious flying peaks, unique flow folds, high-grade multi-layer phosphorite mines, and classic stratigraphic sections have earned Jiuding Mountain the status of an important geological history museum. It can be regarded as a treasure trove for stratigraphic research, and is hailed as a “Geological Science Labyrinth.”