Moshi Natural Reserve

Moshi Natural Reserve

Within the scenic area, the Moshi Valley flows from north to south into Mozi Valley, which then joins the Geshezha River. The reserve primarily covers the watershed area of the Moshi Valley, with its northern boundary defined by the drainage divide with Cuolang Valley, its western boundary by the drainage divide with the Dandong River, its southern boundary by Lalang Valley, and its eastern boundary by the drainage divide between the Moshi Valley and A'keli Valley. The total area spans 13,700 hectares.

The exposed strata within the Moshi Natural Reserve consist of marine clastic rocks and argillaceous rocks from the Middle Triassic Zaguonao Formation. The strata dip northeastward, forming a distinct monoclinal mountain landform. The left bank (east bank) of the Moshi Valley is steep and short, while the right bank (west bank) is gentle, long, and features many tributaries. From north to south, there are five tributary valleys: Gechong Valley, Jinlong Valley, Jingqi Valley, Kasijia Valley, and Lalang Valley. Their flow directions are strongly influenced by tectonic structures, with some even flowing in reverse into the main valley. The Zaguonao Formation strata exposed in the Moshi Valley mainly consist of sandstone, followed by slate, interspersed with several layers of thin-bedded gray to dark gray limestone and argillaceous limestone, with a total thickness exceeding 700 meters. Due to the strong resistance to weathering of the sandstone and slate, most areas have developed into deeply incised valley landforms with steep valley slopes and numerous rapids and waterfalls in the gullies, adding many exquisite landscape features to the scenic area. Above 4,500 meters, remnants of ancient planation surfaces are found, characterized by flat and open terrain, mostly occupied by desert shrubs with longer snow cover periods.

The Moshi Valley is a well-defined modern valley developed on the basis of a glacial valley, where glacial deposits are widely distributed and serve as the main area for scenic landscapes within the reserve. Landscapes such as mountains and waters, waterfalls and rapids, karst landforms, as well as forests, grasslands, and diverse flora and fauna, are spread across the various valleys. Forest tree species include spruce, fir, red birch, white birch, and alpine poplar. Animal species include the white-lipped deer, leopard, snow leopard, golden eagle, Pallas's fish eagle, bearded vulture—first-class nationally protected species—as well as the Tibetan macaque, rhesus monkey, dhole, and forest musk deer, which are second-class nationally protected animals.

There are also 27 species; additionally, there are seven provincially key-protected animal species, including the white-lipped deer, Tibetan eared pheasant, and Tibetan fox. Various wild animals are well preserved, to the extent that the rare sight of humans and otters coexisting peacefully within temples has been observed.