The cliffs are towering, the peaks and peaks are stacked, a river and clear water surround the green mountains, and the beautiful scenery is amazing; The stone pillars stand in a forest, the stone curtain hangs low, and the karst landform in the cave is one step at a time, and the karst landforms of various postures make people think about it. In the Longgang Scenic Area of Yunyang Geopark, the majestic and handsome karst scenery always attracts many tourists every year.
At the beginning of 2015, a herding teenager accidentally discovered that there were traces of dinosaur fossils in Laojun Village, Pu'an Township. After excavation, the world's largest and most distinctive Jurassic original site large fossil wall was presented to the world. Through the earth-colored mud-covered "stones", everyone can get a glimpse of the mysterious dinosaur world 170 million years ago.
In March this year, UNESCO announced the 2024 Global Geopark candidates, and Yunyang became one of the 18 candidates to apply for UNESCO Global Geopark this time, and it is also the only candidate site in China.
"Yunyang Geopark takes the Middle Jurassic dinosaur fossil group and karst landform of Yunyang as the main landscape, with the Jurassic dinosaur fossil wall and dragon tank sinkhole as the main features, and many typical geological phenomena such as geological sections, geological structures, water landscapes and environmental geological relics, and its world-class geological relics have extensive and far-reaching scientific and educational significance and global comparative significance." According to the relevant person in charge of the Office of the Leading Group for the Application and Creation of Yunyang Global Geopark, the Middle Jurassic dinosaur fossil group in Yunyang is a rare concentrated dinosaur fossil group newly discovered in the world since the beginning of this century, which has the characteristics of large time span, wide and dense distribution, rich and diverse dinosaur species, etc., and is a major discovery in the field of paleontological research in the mainland and even the world. The Triassic limestone in the Geopark is the main landscape stratum of the karst landform of the Geopark, which has formed a variety of landforms and strange peaks and rocks under the action of karst, gravity collapse and water erosion, among which the maximum vertical depth of the Longgang sinkhole is 335 meters.
It is reported that the scope of Yunyang Geopark includes the whole area of 13 towns (streets) south of the Yangtze River in Yunyang County, and also includes the greenway around the lake north of the Yangtze River, Longjiling Park, Panshi City and the Yangtze River waters within the range, with a total area of 1124.05 square kilometers. It is mainly based on Yunyang Dinosaur National Geopark and Yunyang Longgang National Geopark, with the world-class geological relics of Yunyang Middle Jurassic dinosaur fossil group as the core, supplemented by national geological relics such as Longgang karst landform, Zhangfei Temple, Peng's ancestral hall and other long-term historical and cultural landscapes and Tujia minority culture. The core area of the park covers an area of 10.994 square kilometers, which is mainly a special protection area and a first-class protection area of Yunyang Longgang National Geopark and Dinosaur National Geopark.
"Yunyang Global Geopark is a comprehensive geopark integrating rich geological landscape, excellent ecological environment and profound cultural heritage. Its successful establishment is conducive to the protection and research of geological relics and ecological environment. We will continue to do a good job in the ecological protection of the Geopark and carry out extensive science popularization work in the Global Geopark. The relevant person in charge of the Yunyang County Planning and Natural Resources Bureau said.