China's Rainbow Mountains Will Take Your Breath Away

Posted by Kary Bruening on Tuesday, May 14, 2024

With their rich, vibrant hues, it's hard to believe that these rainbow mountains are real. You have to see it to believe it.

Rainbow Mountains

It’s hard to believe that this collection of colorfully striped mountains is real. Sure, some amount of photo manipulation may have awoken the rich hues, but even the un-retouched images paint a pretty picture. Located in China’s Zhangye Danxia Landform Geological Park, these “rainbow mountains” are yet another wondrous example of what Mother Nature can create. The formations’ stripes are most vivid after a rainstorm or as the sun enters or leaves the sky.

Red Sandstone Mountains China

Source: Pretty Awful Things

Aerial View China Rainbow Mountains

Source: China Tourist Attractions

With enough time, anything is possible–even this 400-square-kilometer section of striped mountains. 24 million years ago, red sandstone and mineral deposits formed layers that compressed and underwent metamorphism, speckling the Chinese landscape with a “layer cake” of blues, reds and yellows. Erosion worked against the formation, carving cliffs, valleys and natural pillars into the earth, adding the array of textures and patterns that now characterize the region’s mountains.

China Striped Mountains

Source: The Black Beret in China

Rainbow Mountains In China

Source: Democratic Underground

Danxia Landform China

Source: Wiki Walking

Striped Mountains in the Evening

Source: Here’s a Link

Danxia topography refers to landforms in China that form due to the ways that erosion, weather and uplift transform red sandstone. These unique geological features have been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2010, thanks to the striped mountains’ great natural beauty and their illustration of the forces and processes that created them.

China's Colorful Rainbow Mountains

Source: Huffington Post

Danxia Striped Mountains

Source: Huffington Post

Although there are already four scenic viewing platforms for tourists to experience China’s colorfully striped mountains, Zhangye is said to be building more amenities to accommodate tourists in the region.

Colorful Mountains at Sunset

Source: 500px

Zhangye Mountains

Source: img kid

If you liked these incredible rainbow mountains in China, you’ll love our list of the world’s most unbelievable places.

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