Rainbow Mountains, China

Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park, also known as Zhangye Danxia (Landform), has become one of the most important sites for landscape photographers and travelers that visit China since it was classified as a national park in 2011. Located in the foothills of the Qilian Mountains, the landform area covers about 510 square kilometers.

Over the years, wind and rain have sculpted the structures into towers, pillars, and ravines of various colors and sizes. Zhangye Danxia is known for the colorful rock formations that showcase a sharp form and reach several hundred meters in height. They are said to be the stunning result of 24 million years of deposits of sandstone and other minerals.

These sedimentary rocks contained different amounts of ferrous salt in the mud and stone. This is why the layers have different colors of red, purplish red, yellowish green, grayish green, and gray. Every layer took thousands of years to form. That is why Zhangye Danxia landform area is known as the "Rainbow Mountains".