Enshi Grand Canyon-Tenglongdong Cave UGGp

In December 2023, Sanqingshan UGGp and Enshi Grand Canyon-Tenglongdong Cave UGGp officially established a sister geopark relationship. The two sides will deepen cooperation in core areas including geological heritage conservation, science education, and geopark operation and management. Through irregular exchange activities, mutual personnel study and training, and mutual promotion platforms, they will jointly explore new paths for the integrated development of conservation and development of geoparks.

Enshi Grand Canyon-Tenglongdong Cave UGGp is located in Enshi City and Lichuan City, Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Hubei Province, covering an area of 679.19 square kilometers. Characterized by karst and tectonic landforms, it is known as a "three-dimensional karst museum" and one of the representative areas of subtropical karst landforms in southern China.

The geopark preserves a complete marine and continental sedimentary record since the Early Cambrian. A total of 79 geosites have been identified, including 3 world-class ones: Tenglong Cave, Qingjiang Underground River, and the pillar-type peak forest of Enshi Grand Canyon. Tenglongdong Cave has an explored length of 59.8 km with a total volume among the top in the world, integrating caves, water and mountains in a magnificent, steep and secluded landscape. The Qingjiang Underground River forms a rare 16.8 km underground flow landscape. The pillar-type peak forest of Enshi Grand Canyon is a unique karst landform: within 3 km² in Qixingzhai Area, 62 limestone peaks and pillars rise abruptly, forming a globally rare stone pillar forest. The geopark’s geological heritage vividly records the evolutionary sequence of karst landforms in western Hubei mountains. Meanwhile, abundant paleontological fossils provide important evidence for studying the evolution of life and paleogeographic environments, making it a natural laboratory for karst geological research and environmental education.

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