In northern central China stretches the Pinglu Valley – an impressive canyon 10 km long and up to 2 km wide, with a depth of about 100 meters.
Read more “This is forbidden!”: seeing what happens at star concerts in Lithuania – strictly warns everyone
Its almost vertical walls resemble the sets of a fantasy movie, so it is no surprise that this place became one of the filming locations for the movie “The Great Wall” in 2016, writes “WP Tech.”
However, the formation of the Pinglu Valley was not caused only by wind or water erosion. This canyon is part of a larger active fault system in Shanxi, stretching over 1200 km. This huge tectonic fault, extending from Shanxi province to the Weiyuan Valley, is gradually splitting the territory of China.
Why is the valley still expanding?
The stretching processes of the Earth’s crust in the North China block began 10–12 million years ago and continue to this day. Under the influence of tectonic forces, separate crust blocks rise and fall, forming deep depressions and steep cliffs.
According to scientists, the Pinglu Valley lengthens by about 0.5–1.6 mm annually. GPS observations show that this process is caused by a combination of several factors: pressure from the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates, weakening of the lithosphere, and processes in the Earth’s mantle.
The unique landscape is also contributed to by the loess typical of Shanxi province. This soft rock is highly susceptible to water erosion, so tectonic cliffs here rapidly turn into deep canyons with nearly vertical walls.
Seismic hazard and historical memory
This region is characterized by high seismic activity. It was here in 1556 that one of the deadliest earthquakes in human history occurred. The disaster claimed more than 800,000 lives – many victims died under collapsing cave dwellings that were built into the loess cliffs.
Today, the Pinglu Valley is a popular destination for tourists and photographers, but for scientists, it is primarily clear evidence that the depths of China’s earth remain active and constantly changing.
We remind that earlier scientists discovered new evidence about rock cliffs that helped form the layers of the Grand Canyon.
