From March 23rd to March 25th, 2023, in order to promote the successful application of Mt. Siguniang for UNESCO Global Geopark status and enhance the understanding of geopark concepts, the Sichuan Geophysical Survey and Research Institute (formerly the Geophysical Exploration Team of the Sichuan Provincial Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources) organized and invited Zhuang Ping, a researcher from the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guo Jianqiang, the chief engineer (professor-level senior engineer) of the Sichuan Third Geological Brigade, Li Zhongdong, the chief scientific communication expert of natural resources at the Ministry of Natural Resources and vice president of the Sichuan Tourism Society, Yang Yidong, chairman of the Youth Literature Research and Study Committee of Sichuan Province, Yang Jinshan, vice chairman, Gao Zhujun, a senior engineer from the Cultural and Tourism Resources Incubation Committee of the Sichuan Tourism Society, and 11 members of the project team to conduct scientific investigations on the important geological relics and biodiversity of Mt. Siguniang, further verifying the world-class geological relics and unique biodiversity of the park.
The proposed Mt. Siguniang UNESCO Global Geopark boasts abundant and diverse geoheritage resources with distinct characteristics. The park is primarily characterized by the extremely high mountainous terrain of Mt. Siguniang, as well as the Songpan-Garzê Orogenic Belt, the Xikang Group flysch deposits, the "Xikang-style" orogenic belt, and the Relics of the Quaternary Glaciers alongside modern glaciers. It also features a variety of typical geological phenomena such as deep-sea to semi-deep-sea sedimentary structures, geological tectonic events, magmatic intrusion events, and glacial climatic events.
This area is one of the 34 biodiversity hotspots and over 200 ecozones globally, home to more than 2,000 species of higher plants. It is the primary distribution area for the endemic, rare, and endangered plants of China, such as Sichuan redwood, Minjiang cypress, and Paeonia decomposita Hand.-Mazz. It also boasts the world's largest and oldest natural forest of Hippophae rhamnoides. Over 300 species of vertebrates call this place home, making it a key zone in China's Extremely High Mountains ecosystem.
The park boasts a beautiful ecological environment, a rich historical and cultural heritage, unique ethnic customs, and distinctive mountaineering and outdoor exploration experiences. It is a natural geological, ecological, and cultural museum bequeathed to humanity by nature.
The expert team visited Shuangqiao Valley, Mu'erzhai Valley, Majia Valley, and other places, conducting field investigations on geological heritages with world-class value and typical representation, such as "Xikang-style" folds, trough molds, pillow basalt, and flysch sedimentary rocks, as well as rare plants such as Sichuan redwood and Minjiang cypress. The experts provided on-site guidance in various aspects, including the early formation and evolution history of the crust, the exploration of geological heritage value, the protection and utilization of rare organisms, the improvement of identification system construction, the rational planning of inspection routes, the display of park visibility, tourism development, and educational travel.
Slot mold (photographed by Li Zhongdong)
Pillow basalt (photographed by Li Zhongdong)
River terraces have become the homes of indigenous people. (Photographed by Wang Hong)
Experts suggest that Mt. Siguniang not only holds geological significance but also possesses ecological, historical, cultural, and tourism values. It is crucial to highlight the four stories of Mt. Siguniang:
The story of the formation and evolution of the ancient Songpan-Garzê orogenic belt;
Mt. Siguniang is the main body of the Songpan-Garzê orogenic belt. The Songpan-Garzê orogenic belt is wedge-shaped, serving as a prominent example of bidirectional compression continental-continental collision orogeny and representing a novel type of orogenic belt.
At the same time, Mt. Siguniang is also a model site for the "Xikang-style" folds. Its structural characteristics, formation mechanism, and grandeur are fully comparable to the "Jurassic-style", "Alpine-style", and "Germanic-style" orogenic belt folds, representing a unique type of fold.
The story of the rapid uplift of Mt. Siguniang, forming a young extremely high mountain;
Mount Siguniang is located in the key area where the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau abruptly descends towards the Sichuan Basin. It is most distinctive for its Extremely High Mountain landform, with 85 snow-capped mountains above 5000 meters above sea level, fully recording the uplift process and mechanism of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
The story of glacial activity and glacial landforms in Mt. Siguniang;
Mt. Siguniang is located at the easternmost edge of glacier distribution in China and is a sensitive area to global climate change. Due to intense glaciation, mountain glaciers are well-developed, leaving behind numerous vestiges of glaciation such as horn peaks, knife ridges, cirques, glacial U-valleys, and glacier lakes. These not only constitute spectacular vestiges of ancient glaciers but also provide valuable information for understanding the formation of the modern landform of Mt. Siguniang and the climatic evolution during the Quaternary glacial period.
The story of geology, ecology, and culture of Mt. Siguniang;
The blending and interaction between different ethnic cultures have shaped the unique Tibetan multiculturalism and rich ethnic customs of Mt. Siguniang, highlighting the profound heritage and integration of ethnic cultures.
Geological experts are explaining the rock strata on site
Experts discuss pillow basalt
Experts use drones to take photos
The above pictures are, in order: redwood forest, spruce forest, Yiangqucuo, and Snow Lake (photographed by Li Zhongdong)
Plant experts give on-site explanations on biodiversity
The above picture shows, in order: Aconitum, Salix glandulosa, Rhododendron quercifolium, Narrowleaf Xianbei Flower, and Flower Branch (photographed by Peng Xiangrong)
During the expedition, experts discussed how to deeply explore and refine the scientific value of geological heritages, scientifically analyze their positioning among world-class geological heritages, and how to organically combine the rich historical culture and good ecological environment of Mt. Siguniang with the geological heritages to maximize the comprehensive value of the park. They put forward highly constructive suggestions and opinions. This scientific expedition provided new ideas for Mt. Siguniang's application for UNESCO Global Geopark status and is of great significance for further work.