Shilin Global Geopark, China

Synonyms: Shilin National Geopark, Yunnan

Stone Forest Geopark became a global geopark in 2004. It is located in Yunnan Province and covers an area of 400 km²with likely the most diverse karst landforms in the world. The area was a littoral offshore environment in the Late Palaeozoic, in which extremely thick limestone and dolomite were deposited. Subsequent crustal uplift and water erosion through joints created a multiple, superimposed, well-stratified karst landscape. It is a ‘karst museum’ with varied shapes and forms that are globally unique, such as knife-edge-like, mushroom and tower-shaped pinnacles with heights ranging from 20 to 50 m. Other geomorphic features include clusters of karst peaks, ridges, valleys, caves, sinkholes, funnels, depressions, arches, lakes, and underground streams, which are ideal for sight-seeing and studying karstification and the regional geological evolution of the Earth’s surface. The rich and varied culture of minority groups such as the Yi and...