Sanqingshan: The incredible granite peaks of eastern China

Abstract

Sanqingshan and Huangshan, two areas of granite mountains in eastern China with World Heritage status, form iconic landscapes. Granites were intruded within a Palaeozoic orogenic zone during the Mesozoic and have been repeatedly uplifted to form striking mountain scenery. At Sanqingshan, a triangular pattern of faults delimits an area of towering rock pillars that rise above vertical cliffs of granite. These landscapes have strongly influenced Chinese classical painters and philosophers, and formerly held mystic importance in the Taoist religion. The so-called peak forests appear to reflect the chemical and erosive action of heavy monsoon rainfall acting on the dissected granite massif in a subtropical environment. The combination of rock type, tectonic history, and warm moist climate has created a spectacular relief rarely seen elsewhere. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.