Arshatu Stone Forest in Inner Mongolia
Updated: 2011-07-19 13:40
(CRIENGLISH.com)
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Stones of various shapes in the Arshatu Stone Forest stand steadfast under the austere blue sky. [Photo/CRIENGLISH.com] |
Covering 15 square kilometers, the towering and savage-looking Arshatu Stone Forest strikes a strong contrast with its surroundings of mild green vegetation in Chifeng city of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
Arshatu, meaning the "stones of hazards" in the mongolian language, stands about 40 kilometers north to the highest peak of the Greater Khingan Mountain Range, and is often compared with China's major stones forests in Yunnan province and Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. According to studies by geologists, the texture of the stone has been shaped by thousands of years of melting glacier water and thus it is also called "glacier stone forest". It is said to be the world's one and only glacier stone forest landscape.
In various gestures, the stones were given names such as "Sword", "Goddess" and "Heavenly Gate" by locals and tourists according to their features. The stone forest is a major tourist site of Chifeng city and has also been a favorable destination for photography fans.