Songshan Geopark

Located in northern Henan Province and covering an area of 450 square kilometers, the Songshan Mountains are famous for having a complete collection of outcrops of stratigraphic section and the boundaries of angular unconformities formed by three Precambrian (the geological time between 4.5 billion years ago and 543 million years ago) tectonic movements.

Outcrops of the Archean Era (3.8 to 2.5 billion years ago), Proterozoic Era (2.5 billion to 543 million years ago), Paleozoic Era (543 to 248 million years ago), Mesozoic Era (248 to 65 million years ago) and Cenozoic Era (65 million years ago to the present) have been found there.

Three major tectonic movements, the Songyang Movement of 2.5 billion years ago, the Zhongyue Movement of 1.85 billion years ago and the Shaolin Movement of 570 million years ago were named after local attractions in the area.

The boundaries of angular non-conformities and basal conglomerates there are very prominent. The area is also known as the "textbook of geological history".