Highlights of Luochuan Loess National Geopark

Shaanxi Luochuan Loess National Geopark features spectacular loess stratigraphic profiles and diverse loess geomorphic landscapes. It preserves vertebrate fossils and exceptionally distinctive typical loess geological relics, which faithfully record crucial geological events and data concerning paleoclimate, paleoenvironment and paleobiology since the Quaternary Period. The park serves as a representative geological body for the research of Quaternary geological events across the Chinese mainland and even the entire Eurasian continent.

Loess landscapes take shape under long-term erosional geological processes. Loess refers to grayish-yellow, homogeneous silty deposits formed by wind-blown dust accumulation throughout the Quaternary Period. The Luochuan area boasts extensive flat loess tablelands, also known as loess yuan. Subjected to prolonged fluvial erosion and dissection, intact loess tablelands evolve into a fragmented terrain crisscrossed by countless gullies, alongside simultaneous geomorphic processes including landslides, collapses and sedimentation, ultimately forming the loess landscapes visible today.

The loess geological relics in Heimugou of Luochuan County are the combined product of endogenic and exogenic geological forces over geological time, serving as an authentic archive recording 2.4 million years of crustal structure, tectonic movement and landform evolution. Complete and stable loess strata of all epochs are fully exposed here, retaining abundant records of paleoclimate, paleoenvironment, paleogeography, paleovegetation and major geological events since the Quaternary. This profile can be used as a standard loess stratigraphic benchmark for stratigraphic correlation across the entire Loess Plateau.

The loess geological relics in Heimugou, Luochuan County, result from a combination of various geological processes over geological history, genuinely reflecting more than two million years of tectonic movement and landform evolution. Fully exposed and stable loess strata from all periods record detailed information about paleoclimate, paleoenvironment, paleogeography, paleovegetation and key geological events since the Quaternary, functioning as a standard loess stratigraphic section for correlation with strata distributed over the Loess Plateau.

The loess layers of Heimugou are clearly exposed with continuous and intact sequences and distinct paleosol layers, delivering high comparability for geological research. The gullies range from 80 to 100 meters in depth with steep slopes. Eroded by rainfall and surface runoff, unique and fantastic loess karst landforms have developed here, endowing the site with high academic value.

Loess landscapes are shaped by long-term geological erosion. Their fantastic configurations immerse visitors in the peerless artistic creations of nature. The gully hosts a wealth of peculiar natural micro-landforms including loess landslides, collapses, hanging gullies, loess sinkholes, natural loess bridges, loess pillars and loess walls. These formations possess unique natural charm and great ornamental value.