Climate and Environmental Change

Types and spatial combinations of Danxia landform of Fangyan in Zhejiang Province

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  • 1. School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences of Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China|
    2. Department of Geography of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China|
    3. Construction Bureau of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310027, China|
    4. Department of Humanities and Social Sciences of Bengbu College, Bengbu 233050, Anhui, China|
    5. Department of Geography of Chuzhou University, Chuzhou 239012, Anhui, China|
    6. Management Committee of Scenic Areas in Fangyan, Yongkang City of Zhejiang Province, Yongkang 321308, Zhejiang, China|
    7. College of Urban and Environmental Sciences of Peking University, Beijing 100871, China

Received date: 2009-01-06

  Revised date: 2009-06-10

  Online published: 2009-10-25

Supported by

National Natural Science Foundation of China, No.40871014; The Open Foundation of the State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology from the Institute of Earth Environment, CAS, No.SKLLQG0817; The Training Foundation of National Basis of Talents, No.J0630535; Project of Application World Natural Heritages of Construction Bureau of Zhejiang Province, The Test Foundation of Modern Analyses Center of Nanjing University

Abstract

The prominent types of Danxia landform in Fangyan include enclosed valleys, mesas, peaks, stone columns and grooves etc. Their spatial combinations have regular configurations along the northwest–southeast direction: typical grooves and caves are located in the northwestern Wufengshuyuan mainly; abundant fresh collapsed stones may be observed in central Jimingfeng and Taohuafeng; stone drums and stone columns are in the southeastern Shiguliao particularly; enclosed valleys are encircling joints of peaks and plains from three directions east, west, and south. Their spatial combinations reflect that the developments of Danxia landform have undergone stages of geomorphic cyclical erosion in the form of weathering, collapse, transportation, sedimentation and other processes, together with the “sculpture” of external forces mainly as tectonic uplift. The picturesque Danxia landform began its formation at that point. Danxia landform developed mainly in the strata of Fangyan Formation (K1f) caused by the alluvial fan-braided river phase of anterior fan in the late period of the Early Cretaceous. Regular patterns of weathering of stones and features of braided alluvial phase sediments may be verified by the analysis of three groups of experimental data. Danxia landform of Fangyan is a unique representative of the “adolescent” development type in the application of the World Natural Heritages status in China, by virtue of its outstanding universal aesthetic and scientific value.

Cite this article

OUYANG Jie, ZHU Cheng, PENG Hua, YU Jinbiao, LI Lan, ZHOU Riliang,ZHANG Guangsheng, ZHU Guangyao, LI Zhongxuan, ZHONG Yishun,ZHU Qing, LV Wen, HU Yongqi, ZHENG Chaogui, LV Zhenrong, HU Chang,WU Honglin, XU Longsheng . Types and spatial combinations of Danxia landform of Fangyan in Zhejiang Province[J]. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 2009 , 19(5) : 631 -640 . DOI: 10.1007/s11442-009-0631-x

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