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Huanglong () is a scenic and historic interest area in the northwest part of 
File:1 huanglong 2011x.jpg
Image:HuangLong 2002-09-12 19.jpg
File:Huanglong-calcific-ponds.jpg
File:Water-of-Five-colored-Pond Huanglong Sichuan China.jpg
Sichuan
Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...
, China. It is located in the southern part of the Minshan
Min Mountains or Minshan () are a mountain range in central China. It runs in the general north-south direction through northern Sichuan (the eastern part of the Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture and adjacent areas of Mianyang Prefec ...
mountain range, north-northwest of the capital Chengdu
Chengdu (, ; simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), alternatively romanized as Chengtu, is a sub-provincial city which serves as the capital of the Chinese pro ...
. This area is known for its colorful travertine
Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and even rusty varieties. It is formed by a p ...
pools formed by calcite deposits, especially in Huanglonggou (Yellow Dragon Gully), as well as diverse forest ecosystems, snow-capped peaks, waterfalls and hot springs. Huanglong is also home to many endangered species including the giant panda and the Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkey. In addition, a large population of the endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
orchid species 'Cypripedium plectrochilum' was discovered at the site Huanglong was declared a 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 h ...
by 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. It ...
in 1992 because of its outstanding travertine
Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and even rusty varieties. It is formed by a p ...
formations, waterfalls and limestone formations as well as its travertine terraces and lakes rating among the three most outstanding examples in the world.
Description
Repeatedglaciation
A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate be ...
events, the unique terrane
In geology, a terrane (; in full, a tectonostratigraphic terrane) is a crust (geology), crust fragment formed on a tectonic plate (or broken off from it) and Accretion (geology), accreted or "Suture (geology), sutured" to crust lying on another pla ...
structure, the formation of tufa
Tufa is a variety of limestone formed when carbonate minerals precipitate out of water in unheated rivers or lakes. Geothermally heated hot springs sometimes produce similar (but less porous) carbonate deposits, which are known as travertin ...
, the stratum of carbonic acid rock, and climatic conditions such as Arctic-alpine sunlight have created this world-famous travertine
Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and even rusty varieties. It is formed by a p ...
landscape. Huanglong covers an area of 700 km2 at an altitude between 1700m and 5588m. Major scenic areas include:
* Huanglong Valley ()
* Danyun Gorge (): A canyon more than 1,000 meters in depth. The snow melt from the nearby Mount Xuebaoding
Mount Xuebaoding（; Tibetan name:Shar Dung Ri）is a mountain near the easternmost edge of the Tibetan Plateau in China. With an elevation of it is the highest peak of the Min Mountains and the easternmost 5,500 m (18,000 ft) or higher peak on ...
travels through this canyon, providing much of the water for the region.
* Muni Valley ()
* Xuebaoding () – . The highest peak in the Min Mountains
Min Mountains or Minshan () are a mountain range in central China. It runs in the general north-south direction through northern Sichuan (the eastern part of the Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture and adjacent areas of Mianyang Prefec ...
* Xueshan Ridge () – , the highest point on the road from Jiuhuang Airport to Huanglong Valley.
* Red Star Rock ()
* Sigou ()
Huanglong Valley
The total length of the travertine in Huanglong Valley is 3.6 km and it is thought to look like a huge golden dragon wheeling through the snow-capped mountains of the valley. The main landscapes are travertine banks, colorful ponds and travertine waterfalls and caves. The main body of water starts from the ancient Buddhist/ Benbo temple at the top of the valley and ends at the Guests Welcome Pond in the north with a length of 2.5 km and a width of 30–170m. The colours of Huanglong's waters consist of yellows, greens, blues and browns.
Gallery
See also
* Baishuitai, Yunnan, China * Badab-e Surt in Iran *Mammoth Hot Springs
Mammoth Hot Springs is a large complex of hot springs on a hill of travertine in Yellowstone National Park adjacent to Fort Yellowstone and the Mammoth Hot Springs Historic District. It was created over thousands of years as hot water from the ...
in Yellowstone Park
Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress with the Yellowston ...
, United States
*Band-e Amir
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Band-e Amir National Park ( fa, بند امیر) Afghanistan established its first national park on April 22, 2009, to promote and protect the natural beauty of a series of intensely blue lakes created by natural dams high in the Hindu ...
in Afghanistan
* Semuc Champey in Guatemala
*Plitvice Lakes Plitvice or Plitvička jezera can refer to:
* Plitvice Lakes National Park, the largest and oldest national park in Croatia
* Plitvička Jezera, a municipality of Lika-Senj County, Croatia
See also
* Plitvica (disambiguation)
{{geodis ...
in Croatia
* Pamukkale in Turkey
*Travertine
Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and even rusty varieties. It is formed by a p ...
References
External links
* http://www.huanglong.com/ World Heritage Sites in China Biosphere reserves of China Huanglong Geography of Sichuan Tourist attractions in Sichuan {{Sichuan-geo-stub