Silicified Wood National Geological Park

As a national geological park and the geological vestige reserve of Beijing, Silicified Wood National Geological Park is located on both banks of White River to the northeast of Yanqing County, about 100 away from the downtown. It is the only geological park with typical, rare, and precious groups of silicified wood.

Also called “Stone Tree”, silicified wood is the produce in the late period of mid Jurrasic. About 140 million years ago, it was warm here, and the arbors grew tall and exuberant. Due to the outbreak of volcanoes and sudden rupture of stratum, the plants were buried underground. In the environment of no oxygen and high temperature, after long period of petrifaction, the organic matters in the timber were replaced by the silicoide in the underground water. Through the shell movements of stratum risings, these wood fossils were pushed out of the ground, forming the silicified wood we see today. Shenkuo, the scientist in the Northern Song Dynasty had the record of “1,000 kilometers away from the Bo Sea, pine trees were transformed into stones”.

The geological park stretches for 26 kilometers from the Yan Mountains in the west to Dishuihu in the east, with the total acreage of 226 square kilometers. It is a national geological park with unique geological sight and natural sight, integrating scientific investigation, sightseeing and folk custom travel. It includes the Small Kunlun Geological Popular Science District, Central District of Geological Park, Wulong Gorge Tourist Site, Yan Mount Tianchi Recreational District, and Datan Ecological Model District. In the Central District of Geological Park, there have been found 57 wood fossils, which were distributed on the marine deposit sand sale on the slopes of the White River. The wood fossils are in different sizes and shapes, with the surfaces in filemot or offwhite. The texture and annual rings of wood can be seen clearly. These pieces of wood have the diameter from 0.5 meters to 2.5 meters, and the longest wood is 15 meters. Some fossils still have branches or scars. Some are cracked. Some still have complete barks. These wood fossils are important evidences to study ancient geography and the evolution of ancient climates in Mesozoic era in North China. The wood fossils are mainly scattered in the area about 2,000 meters long and 400 meters wide to the north of Toudaoliang. They are also scarcely distributed in other areas. In addition, there is a wood fossil exhibition hall with an acreage of 110 square meters, which exhibits the board of geological changes and various kinds of wood fossils. Mountain Yan Tianchi in the scenic spot is the Baihebao Reservoir. Located in the volcano fulgurite basin in Baihebao formed in Mesozoic era, it is about 560 meters, covering five million square meters. It is the highest water in Beijing, thus called “Lake above high gorge”.

Publishes at : 07-09-23 21:55

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