The Stone Forest or Shilin () is a notable set of

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms wh ...

formations about 500 km² located in

Shilin Yi Autonomous County Shilin Yi Autonomous County (: Sani: ) is an autonomous county, under the jurisdiction of Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province, China. Etymology Lunan Yi Autonomous County () is the former name of Shilin, and usually be called for short as ...

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the ...

Province, People's Republic of China, near Shilin approximately from the provincial capital

Kunming Kunming (; ), also known as Yunnan-Fu, is the capital and largest city of Yunnan province, China. It is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of the province as well as the seat of the provincial government. The headqua ...

. The tall rocks seem to arise from the ground in a manner somewhat reminiscent of

stalagmites A stalagmite (, ; from the Greek , from , "dropping, trickling") is a type of rock formation that rises from the floor of a cave due to the accumulation of material deposited on the floor from ceiling drippings. Stalagmites are typically ...

, or with many looking like petrified trees, thereby creating the illusion of a forest made of stone. Since 2007, two parts of the site, the Naigu Stone Forest () and Suogeyi Village (), have been

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. I ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

s as part of the South China Karst. The site is classified as a AAAAA-class tourist site.

Features

Shilin National Scenic Area () covers an area of and is divided into seven scenic areas as follows: * Greater & Lesser Stone Forests () - also known as the Lizijing Stone Forest () * Naigu Stone Forest () * Zhiyun Cave () * Lake Chang (长湖 literally ''Long Lake'') * Lake Yue (月湖 literally ''Moon Lake'') * Dadieshui Waterfall () * Qifeng Cave () These formations, caused by the weathering of

, are believed to be over 270 million years old and are a tourist attraction for both overseas and domestic tourists, with bus tours bringing tourists from Kunming. There are also a number of hotels in the area.

Culture

According to legend, the forest is the birthplace of Ashima (), a beautiful girl of the

Yi people The Yi or Nuosu people,; zh, c=彝族, p=Yízú, l=Yi ethnicity historically known as the Lolo,; vi, Lô Lô; th, โล-โล, Lo-Lo are an ethnic group in China, Vietnam, and Thailand. Numbering nine million people, they are the sev ...

. After falling in love she was forbidden to marry her chosen suitor and instead turned into a stone in the forest that still bears her name. Each year on the 24th day of the sixth lunar month, many Yi people celebrate the Torch Festival (火把节 ''Huǒbă Jié''), which features folk dances and wrestling competitions.

Geology

The Stone Forest area was a shallow sea some 270 million years ago. Extensive deposits of sandstone overlain by limestone accumulated in this basin during the

Permian The Permian ( ) is a geologic period and stratigraphic system which spans 47 million years from the end of the Carboniferous Period million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Triassic Period 251.9 Mya. It is the last period of the Pale ...

period of geologic time. Uplift of this region occurred subsequent to deposition. Later, exposure to wind and running water shaped these limestone pillars. These formations extend as far as the eye can see, looking like a vast forest of stone, hence the name "The Stone Forest". The Major and Minor Stone Forests are developed in the nearly pure limestone of the Permian Makou Formation. The Naigu Stone Forest, 9 km northeast of the Major Stone Forest, is developed in dolomite and dolomitic limestone of the Permian Qixia Formation. Both formations are of Lower Permian age. They aggregate 505m in thickness and consist of shallow water (platform) massive limestone and dolomite, bio-clastic limestone, calcarenite and calcilutite. The Maokou Formation at Stone Forest appears to have been heavily altered diagenetically, and macroscopic fossil remains are seldom seen. Under the microscope, single whole or fractured fusulinid foraminifera are seen, commonly in biomicrite, biopelmicrite to biopelmicrosparite limestones. At least one zone of chert nodules occurs in the limestone, Unlike in the dolomitic Qixia Formation, dolomite in the Maokou Formation seldom ranges above 3%. The strata are part of a gentle (2-6 degrees) westward dipping monocline. Conjugate shear joints (NE-SW and NE-SE) are well developed and these fractures provided the main passageways for surface water and underground water in the pre-karst development stage. The distribution, density and orientation of the fractures controlled the depth, size and orientation of the karst topography. Sandstones and shales of the Liangshan Formation that lies below the carbonate rock formations serve as a permeability barrier and force the local groundwater to flow from west to east.

Flora

The Shilin Karst area has the following types of forests and plant communities.UNESCO: South China Karst
/ref> *Evergreen broad-leaved forest: '' Cyclobanopsis glancoides'', '' Cyclobalanopsis delavayi'', and '' Castanopsis delavayi'' *Sclerophyllous evergreen broad-leaved forests: ''

Quercus cocciferoides An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

'' and '' Quercus franchetii'' *Deciduous broad-leaved and subtropical needle-leaved forests: ''

Pinus yunnanensis ''Pinus yunnanensis'', the Yunnan pine, is a species of conifer in the family Pinaceae. It is found in the Chinese provinces of Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of t ...

'' *Lake vegetation: '' Ottelia acuminata''

Other plant species

*Sino-Himalayan subregion species: '' Colquhounia'', '' Corallodiscus'', '' Docynia'', '' Lysiontus'', '' Physospermopsis'', ''

Prinsepia ''Prinsepia'' is a genus of trees in the Rosaceae. It bears fruit which looks like a cherry. The various species grow largely in Nepal, India, China, Bangladesh, and Taiwan, though ''P. sinensis'' is hardy in zone Zone or The Zone may refer to: ...

'', '' Sinocrassula'', '' Siphonostegia'' *Sino-Japan forest subrealm species: ''

Akebia ''Akebia'' is a genus of five species of flowering plant, within the family Lardizabalaceae. The scientific name, ''akebia'', is a Latinization of the Japanese name for species Akebia quinata: . Species There are five species: Hybrids * ''Ake ...

'', ''

Conandron ''Conandron'' is a genus that consists of 3 species of small ornamental alpine perennials, native to Japan and Taiwan. The botanical names comes from the ''Greek'', meaning "cone-shaped anther". These plants are almost stemless herb with radical ...

'', '' Sinomenium'', '' Platycladus'' *East Asian Realm species: '' Ainsliaea'', ''

Bletilla ''Bletilla'', common name urn orchid, is a temperate, terrestrial genus of orchids containing five currently recognized species distributed through China, Japan, Taiwan, south to Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar. The name is actually a diminutive o ...

'', '' Codonopsis'', '' Dendrobenthamia'', ''

Eriobotrya ''Eriobotrya'' is a genus of flowering plants, mostly large evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosaceae, native to woodland in the Himalayas and East Asia. The loquat, ''E. japonica'', is grown for its edible fruit. ''Eriobotrya'' s ...

'', '' Leptodermis'', '' Lycoris'', '' Ophiopogon'', '' Patrinia'', '' Reineckea''

References

External links

* ttp://www.travelchinayunnan.com/yunnan/kunming/attraction/Stone_Forest.htm Travelchinayunnan.com: Shilin Stone Forest Geopark webpage {{coord, 24, 49, 31, N, 103, 19, 25, E, type:landmark_region:CN, display=title Karst formations of China Geography of Kunming Geoparks in China Geology of Yunnan Global Geoparks Network members AAAAA-rated tourist attractions Tourist attractions in Yunnan Yi people Karst formations of Yunnan First 100 IUGS Geological Heritage Sites