{"id":14543,"date":"2022-12-12T08:31:51","date_gmt":"2022-12-12T07:31:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eneasmagazine.com\/en\/?p=14543"},"modified":"2022-12-08T18:11:50","modified_gmt":"2022-12-08T17:11:50","slug":"the-rainbow-mountains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eneasmagazine.com\/en\/lifestyle\/tourism\/the-rainbow-mountains\/","title":{"rendered":"The rainbow mountains"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Imagine all the colors of the rainbow that stain the undulating peaks of unique mountains, capable of surprising and leaving any traveler open-mouthed, no matter where he has visited in the world.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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The so-called Rainbow Mountains of China<\/b>, located in the Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park<\/b> in northwest China, are one of the geological wonders to be found on our planet.<\/span><\/p>

Named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009, the Rainbow Mountains are Cretaceous sandstones and siltstones<\/b> that were deposited in China before the Himalayan Mountains were formed. The sand and siltstone was deposited with iron and trace elements that provided the key ingredient to form the colors we see today.<\/span><\/p>

When the Indian plate collided with the Eurasian plate about 55 million years ago, the collision caused flat sandstones to break and fold and sedimentary rocks that lay far below the earth’s surface to appear, in a process that resulted in the mountains we see today.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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But how do we get such varied and fascinating colors? Groundwater moves through the sandstone grains and deposits trace minerals between the grains. The primary color is a dark red sandstone caused by a layer of iron oxide. Most of the time, iron oxides provide a dark red pigment. However, there are cases where the oxides form different colors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

For example, limonite will produce a brown or yellow staining of sandstones, magnetite may produce a black color. If iron sulfide is present, a metallic yellow color will result from sulfur. The green color is often due to chlorite or iron silicate clays. These are just a few examples of how certain minerals can alter the color of the sandstones that form these mountains and create this fascinating chromatic range.<\/span><\/p>

The area, of approximately 200 square kilometers in the Zhangye Danxia Geological Park, is ideal for different hiking trails and to admire the chromatic changes of the mountain up close. Another way to observe this unique geological spectacle is on the back of a camel<\/b>, one of the animals traditionally used as a means of transportation in Gansu province.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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And if you want to enjoy this rainbow landscape from another perspective, a hot air balloon ride will allow you to get a magical view of this natural phenomenon.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Vinicunca or the Mountain of the Seven Colors<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>

Near Cusco, in Peru, there is another Rainbow Mountain, Vinicunca, also called “The Mountain of the Seven Colors”<\/b>. The ancient Incas believed that a masculine energy flowed from the foundations of the mountain, the same energy that fertilized the Pachamama. Even today, the local inhabitants consider Vinicunca to be a “sacred mountain”, for which they perform rituals such as paying to the earth as a form of gratitude for what nature gives them.<\/span><\/p>

To reach the viewpoint, at an altitude of 5,200 meters, from the beginning of the trail you have to walk about 12 kilometers and it is an experience recommended for experienced hikers.<\/span><\/p>

Its slopes and peaks are tinged with stripes of intense shades of fuchsia, turquoise, lavender and gold<\/b>. The colors that characterize this mountain were formed when the ice that covered the area millions of years ago began to melt, the water mixed with the minerals in the soil, turning the earth into many colors. The red areas are due to oxide mixtures, the yellows are due to limonite combined with sulfur, the purples to the mixture of clay with calcium carbonate and the greens to copper oxide.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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The “Hill of 14 colors” in Argentina<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>

In the Serran\u00eda del Hornocal<\/b>, 25 kilometers from the city of Humahuaca in the province of Jujuy, in Argentina<\/b>, there is a colorful mountain known as the “Hill of 14 colors”, This original geological formation can be admired driving along a winding road of curves in a 24 kilometer route and where you pass from 3,000 meters to 4,200 meters in altitude, until you reach a viewpoint from where you can admire its 14 peaks dyed in bright colors. Sunset is the best time of the day to admire the magic of all the colors of this mountain<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>

The Hornocal<\/b> is a stratified sedimentary formation of more than 75 million years old, formed by a limestone of ocher, yellow, green and whitish colors<\/b> where the iron did not manage to oxidize. The colors are composed of various minerals that, when eroded, left the characteristic triangular formations on the slopes of these mountains.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Colored dunes in Mauritius<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>

Known as the “Land of the seven colors of Chamarel”, in Mauritius, beyond the beaches and palm trees, you are surprised by a collection of colored dunes of volcanic origin. The colors evolved through the transformation of basaltic lava into clay minerals. These minerals, mixed with the sand of the dunes, create a chromatic symphony with tones ranging from violet to red or blue, through yellow, brown and green. The intensity of the coloring itself varies according to the light of the day.<\/span><\/p>

Sunrise is the best time to enjoy this unique landscape. Geologists are still intrigued by these multicolored undulating dunes, as the colors, red, brown, violet, green, blue, violet and yellow never erode despite torrential downpours and adverse weather conditions.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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