Mount Kunlun, known as “the ancestor of mountains”, holds a special place in Chinese mythology and culture.
Geological Heritage
Kunlun Mountain is located in the southwest part of Golmud, Qinghai Province and covers an area of 7033 square kilometers.
Mount Kunlun UNESCO Global Geopark is located in the northern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and is part of the area that expanding during the Phanerozoic between the Laurasia tectonic plate and the Gondwana tectonic plate, having recorded the evolutionary history of the Paleo-Asian Ocean and the Paleo-Tethys.
The Geopark area has undergone multiple periods of complex crustal evolution, ocean development, as well as uplifting ocean transformation, developing a tectonic mix of Mesoproterozoic-Neoproterozoic-Jurassic strata, with active and intense magmatic activities. It is one of the important mountain systems in the interior of Asia as well as an important window for researching the geological evolution of the Eurasian continent. It is also one of the rare areas that preserve the geological evidence of the history of the evolution of the Paleo-Asian tectonic system and the Tethys tectonic system. The convergence zone and the pieces of rock within it record the complex geological history, such as the different uplifting stages of the Tethys Ocean, magmatic activity, crustal extension, subduction and collision of plates, making Mount Kunlun UNESCO Global Geopark a unique and irreplaceable laboratory for Geoscience in China and the whole of East Asia.
Sustainable development
Based on its own characteristics, Mount Kunlun UNESCO Global Geopark has achieved significant results in accelerating the creation of brand tourism and efforts to promote the awareness and influences of Mount Kunlun Brand. With the support and assistance of the central government and Qinghai local government, the infrastructure and support facilities of the Geopark are becoming more and more comprehensive. In recent years, the Geopark has served as a research, teaching and training base for many Universities and Colleges, as well as Research and Development Institutions to conduct local popular science lectures, hands-on teaching activities and special science popular activities aimed at the common visotor. These activities not only help the public to understand the relevant knowledge around the Geopark, but also to play an active role in energy saving and environmental protection.
Mount Kunlun became a member of UNESCO Global Geoparks Network in September 2014 and is famous for its geological evidence of the collision of tectonic plates, featuring large fault surface zones created by magnitude 8.1 earthquakes, glacial landforms and unique ecosystems.
The Geopark is a natural “classroom” for learning about plate collision and geological structure that is rare in the world.
Twinning
Mount Kunlun UNESCO Global Geopark, China and Lesvos Island UNESCO Global Geopark, Greece signed a twinning agreement on July 23, 2015.
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