The Wonder and Magnificence of Nature

Original creator: Wang Xinmin

Tulin is located in Yuanmou County, Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. Yuanmou Tulin is a natural wonder in China and the world, after millions of years of crustal movements, the god of wind and rain carved the land into a thousand strange shapes.

A soil forest is a group of columnar terrain shaped by soil-like deposits, so named because it looks like a forest from a distance.

Soil forests generally occur in basins or valleys, and the most typical ones are found in Yuanmou in recent years, which reflect the paleogeographic changes and geomorphological development process.

In a hot and dry climate and a relatively uplifted environment, heavy rainfall runoff is strongly eroded and cut through the deep loose detrital sediments on the surface. In addition, because there is an iron weathered crust at the top of the sediment, or a layer of irony and calcareous cemented gravel, it plays a protective role in the lower soil layer, and the vertical joint development of the sediment keeps the side slope of the raised residue steep.

According to its genesis and morphological characteristics of soil pillars, Yuanmou Tulin can be divided into four types: soil bud type, ancient castle type, pointed bamboo shoot type and iron hat type.

Of course, the various forms of soil columns are mixed and distributed, which makes the soil forest form a colorful and ever-changing posture.

The pillars of Yuanmou Tulin are tall and straight, with different styles, some like ancient castles, some like palaces, some like pagodas, some like giant swords soaring into the sky, some like spine across the ground, some like eagles with wings ready to fly, some like horses galloping through the grassland, some like guards wearing steel helmets, and some like scholars who shake fans and groan,...... It's really a miracle, and it's amazing today.

The soil forest is the result of the comprehensive action of special lithologic assemblage, tectonic movement, wind and rain dynamics and ecological environment. There are as many as 13 native forests in the Yuanmou Basin, with a total area of 42.9 square kilometers, accounting for about 2.1% of the total land area of the county.

Photographed on October 15, 2024 in the Tulin Scenic Area of Yuanmou County, Chuxiong Prefecture, Yunnan Province

Editor: Mao Mi "White Waves"