Exploring China’s Most Breathtaking Coastal Stone Forest: 1.2 Million Basalt Columns Hidden Here!

Exploring China’s Most Breathtaking Coastal Stone Forest: 1.2 Million Basalt Columns Hidden Here!

Hello everyone, welcome to my channel We’re currently on the ferry Heading to a truly magical island The island features spectacular volcanic rock columns Known as the “Stone Forest on the Sea” And boasts globally rare sea erosion landforms Walking on the island feels like stepping into an alien world This is Hua’ao Island in Xiangshan County, Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province This is China’s East China Sea Due to sediment from the Yangtze River and other rivers And relatively shallow waters The seawater here appears turbid and yellowish Unlike the crystal-clear blue waters of China’s South China Sea But this creates abundant fishery resources in the East China Sea As the suspended sediment nourishes many bottom-dwelling organisms So seafood here is very affordable You can eat your fill for just dozens of yuan That’s Dafo Mountain(Big Buddha Mountain) on Hua’ao Island Named for its resemblance to a seated Buddha Wow, we can finally see the stone forest It’s truly spectacular Now we’re walking down the steps toward the beach The “Stone Forest on the Sea” on Hua’ao Island consists of about 1.2 million stone columns Categorized as stone column waterfalls, cliffs, peaks, canopies, ornamental columns, and stelae forests In short, this is an ocean of stone A crystalline stone forest distributed along one kilometer of coastline With majestic and spectacular scenery According to expert research Hua’ao Island’s stone forest was actually the volcanic vent from late Jurassic period The quadrilateral or hexagonal stone columns are composed of dense black fine-grained basalt Their surfaces appear yellowish-brown due to seawater erosion and weathering This is an important primary structure of volcanic rock After volcanic eruptions The magma formed vertical fractures under conditions of uniform cooling and slow contraction Creating this unique “Stone Forest on the Sea” landscape To reach the beach, we must cross this suspension bridge The bridge sways back and forth Walking on it feels unsteady We can only hold the railings and move slowly After crossing the bridge We descend the steps And arrive at the core area of the stone forest It’s called a beach But actually it’s a stone beach covered with pebbles of all sizes Many tourists are gathered on the stone beach Relaxing and taking photos The yellowish coastal waters continuously crash ashore Several green islets emerge from the sea From afar they look like ordinary reefs The sea cliffs are lined with countless columnar stone pillars Some soar straight up Others slant sideways The volcanic magma has created this unique “Stone Forest on the Sea” landscape before our eyes This uneven stone beach is quite difficult to walk on You might easily twist an ankle if not careful Need to watch your step So many bugs on the rocks Massive basalt columns interlocked layer upon layer Towering from the ground Reaching 20-30 meters high and stretching hundreds of meters Like a giant wall built by gods Majestically standing between mountain and sea These columns are spaced unevenly Jagged and irregular Crisscrossing on steep cliffs Forming a spectacular and perilous stone forest After millennia of waves crashing and weathering Nature has sculpted these columns into wondrous shapes Some like sky-piercing swords pointing straight up Others like hanging waterfalls about to cascade down Some resemble cannons firing simultaneously And others look like bamboo shoots breaking through rocks When sea winds howl through Echoes reverberate among the stones Like heaven and earth resonating This magnificent landscape where mountain meets sea Makes one hold their breath in awe Marveling at nature’s boundless wonders Hua’ao Stone Forest is a globally rare acidic welded tuff columnar joint cluster Along with Ireland’s Giant’s Causeway and Zhangbei Stone Columns in Hebei They’re called the world’s three major volcanic primary landforms But Hua’ao’s scale and uniqueness surpass the others Though China’s coast has many columnar joint clusters Only Zhangpu, Penghu and Hua’ao have formed sea cliffs Hua’ao Stone Forest is particularly precious for its vivid hues and rustic forms The tiny holes covering the columns are honeycomb-shaped sea erosion pits Caused by variations in the rock’s composition and structure Leading to different erosion resistance When breccia or crystal fragments in the rock get eroded by seawater Small grooves remain If sand grains get trapped in these grooves And keep grinding inside They eventually form irregular honeycomb-shaped pits Typically a few millimeters to centimeters deep Resembling stone coral Layer upon layer of stone columns Uneven stone beaches Roaring ocean waves It truly feels like walking in an alien world Oh my, so many densely packed bugs It’s triggering my trypophobia Good thing I’m not wearing sandals Or I wouldn’t dare step here Hua’ao Island also has traditional sea salt pans A national intangible cultural heritage site With over 1,300 years of history Once famous as a “Tribute Salt” producer Due to different salinity levels and sediments in evaporation pans The salt fields display blue, green, yellow and red hues Aerial views resemble a “Mirror of the Sky” Now let my drone show you this colorful spectacle

Hello everyone, and welcome to my channel.

Today, I visited an extraordinary island with an incredible landscape of volcanic basalt columns and rare coastal erosion formations. Walking on this island feels like stepping into an alien world. This is Hua’ao Island, located in Xiangshan County, Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province. The island is home to massive interlocking basalt columns that rise dramatically from the land and sea, forming a stunningly rugged stone forest! Keep your eyes wide open — let’s explore together!

00:00 Preview
00:35 Taking a ferry to the island
03:07 Arriving at the “Coastal Stone Forest”
12:13 Climbing the stone formations
21:21 Feels like another planet
34:11 Aerial view of the “Coastal Stone Forest”
35:40 Ancient coastal salt fields

#island #sea #forest