Yanqing Geopark

The Great Wall

Yanqing Geopark of Beijing is located at a transitional zone between North China plain and Inner Mongolian plateau. It is one of the famous naming places of Yanshanian movement, liking a shining pearl embedded on the south slope of magnificent Yanshan Mountains. Covering an area of 381.48 km², this geopark comprises two connecting scenic areas, the west one is called Longyingxia Scenic Area, and the east Qianjiadian Scenic Area. Yanqing Geopark, taking the Precambrian marine carbonates as its material basis, dominated by the Mesozoic Yanshanian movementrelated geoheritage, is a comprehensive geopark by integrating the tectonic, sedimentary, paleontologic, magmatic geoheritage and North-China-type karst landforms into a whole.

The Geopark has experienced a long geological history, and created abundant geoheritage sites. On the bedding planes of thousand-meter carbonate rocks formed about 1.9 Ga to 0.8 Ga ago, there are various and complex ripple marks. It also has particular angle unconformity in the geologic history; as well as the various intrusive rocks, extrusive rocks and many contact relations formed in the different stages of Yanshanian movement; furthermore, there are large-scale piedmont fault, nearly vertical strata, huge dome, anticline and magnificient monoclinal structures formed in Yanshanian movement. In addition, the flourishing plants and numerous dinosaurs lived during the period of Yanshanian movement have left abundant silicified woods and dinosaur footprints, according to these footprints, there were not only common meat-eating theropods, but also plant-eating sauropods, ankylosaurs and ornithopods living in the geopark at that time, which are not discovered in adjacent regions. These dinosaur footprints have become the unique and precious geoheritage in the geopark. Since the Cenozoic, the Yanshanian movement-induced dense faults and joints cut the exposed Meso- to Neoproterozoic carbonates into many blocks, the karstification has shaped these rocks into magnificent karst landforms, so the geopark has become one of typical North-China-type karst landform sites in China.

The long geological history has created peculiar geological landscapes and picturesque natural beauties, as well as a sound eco-environment and brilliant cultural history. Yanqing had human activities as early as about 40-50 thousand years ago, with numerous cultural relics, a lot of stone tools have been unearthed. Guyaju (Ancient Cliff-Dwelling) is a site where the ancient people excavated their dwellings in the Yanshanian granite along the three sets of joints, it left us an eternal mystery. Yanqing belonged to the territory of Northern Yan in the Warring States period, the ruins of Yandynasty Great Wall are still visible. The Great Wall, which was built in the Ming and Qing dynasties, has become a world cultural heritage site. The famous Great Wall is also closely related to geological history, and it was built on the exposed waved surface of the Badaling complex rock, which was formed in the late Yanshanian movement, so it has become a vivid example of perfect combination between geoheritage and historied culture.

Yanqing is an ecological conservation and ecological barrier of Beijing, with many conservation areas, the vegetation and wood coverage reaches 72.5%, where provides a paradise for many wildlife. The profound culture and elegant environment have nurtured the kind-hearted and hospitable Yanqing people. The geopark construction has provided a perfect tourism and service infrastructure, making the geopark become an ideal place for people to close to nature, understand the Earth’s mysteries, enjoy relaxation and vacation.

The Dinosaur Footprint

The Silicified Wood

Contact:

Ji Wenxian

Tel: 86-10-81193303

Yanqing Global Geopark

72 Guishui north Street, Yanqing county, Beijing 102100 PR China

Email: yanqingsjdzgy@163.com