Zanji Danxia Landform National Park is located in the northwestern province of “Gansu” on an area of 200 square miles. The site was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009 and the bright colors of sandstone have become a popular destination for many Chinese and international tourists.
Rainbow Mountains are Cretaceous sand and mud stones deposited in China before the formation of the Himalayas. Various layers of colored sandstone and minerals were pressed together over the course of 24 million years, and then bound to tectonic plates. The sand and clay were deposited with iron and the traces of minerals that provided it with the main element to form the colors we see today. Besides the effects of the special geological structure, climate change and wind energy, red sand stones, swordfish and billet formed in isolated mountains and steep rocks.
The park is divided into two distinct areas: colorful hills that boast bright and contrasting colors, and the valley of ice, which is famous for its strange forms.
The hills colored under the sun shine in a predominant red color to look like a sea of fire that extends endlessly. Some hills are characterized by rock stripes of different colors that look like bright stripes fluttering in the desert, which we see clearly in the seventh screen area and the colored sunset. The scenes and colors vary at the edge of the mountains, with yellow and gray color appearing as crystal pieces under the sun.
On the other hand, the Ice Valley extends 25 miles (40 km) that start in the west and end in the east and are filled with sediments, stone pillars, rock blocks and hills. All the narrow hills of the Ice Valley rise towards the sky, making the valley look like a forest of stunning red stones in the great northwest, while rolling hills from a distance seem like ancient temples.
