Mountain Becomes National Geological Park
Apr 14, 03 in Shaolin Temple News

Songshan Mountain in central China's Henan Province has been granted the title of "Songshan Mountain Stratum Structure National Geological Park".

Thus, Songshan has become one of the first 11 national geological parks listed by the Ministry of Land and Resources.

Songshan Mountain, one of the five most well known mountains in China, is a tourist site with spectacular landscapes and rare geological resources, at the foot of which lies the 1,500 year old Shaolin Temple, the cradle of the famous Shaolin Boxing (Chinese martial arts).

The park, covering a total area of 450 sq. km contains well preserved stratum records of prehistoric times dating back tens of millions of years ago.

In addition, the area, which is rich in mineral resources, has won the titles of "National Museum of Natural Geology" and "Encyclopedia on Geology".

The park will consist of an eco-protection area, geological tourist sites, special scenic spots, campsites, and a health resort, which will be separated from the local residential areas and administration and management areas.

Eleven national geological parks have been singled out from among China's diversified geological features, namely, karst geological erosion, volcanoes, glaciers, and marine abrasion geological features, which record thousands and even millions of years of biological history on earth.

China, as one of few countries to boast such an abundance of geological resources, has been designated by UNESCO to select geological parks to apply to UNESCO's world geological park program, which selects 20 geological landscapes around the world annually.