20-Features of wall flowstones in Zhijindong Cave - Zhijindong Cave UNESCO Global Geopark

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20-Features of wall flowstones in Zhijindong Cave

Timer：2024-05-08
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Wall flowstones such as drapery, curtain, stone purdah, and stone waterfall have been developed in Zhijindong Cave, mainly distributed in the branch cave of the 4^th layer. They are grand with a general height of 15 to 23m (Max.: over 30m) and width of 10 to 17m (Max.: hundreds of meters). They have various and beautiful shapes, with helmet shape, fusiform, curtain shape, waterfall shape and peach shape as theirs main shapes. Meanwhile, they usually develop jointly with other stalactites ,and combin to form grand and vivid landscape pictures.

Main morphotypes and features of drapery, curtain, stone purdah and stone waterfall in Zhijindong Cave

Morphotype	Main development features	Main development area
1. Helmet-shaped drapery	Three helmet-shaped draperies of similar scales hang on the cave wall longitudinally side by side with a height of about 12.6m and width of 15.9m.	The Three-class Canopy, which is a monopoly landscape and a treasure of the cave, can only be found in Moon Palace.
2. Fusiform drapery	Looking like fusiform shape, and it develops along the cave wall or adhering to surfaces of stalagmites, columns and other stalactites, with a height of 15 to 50cm and width of 10 to 20cm.	Widely distributed everywhere of the cave, large in quantity and common in sightseeing
3. Peach-shaped drapery	Looking like a peach, it develops along the cave wall or adhering to surfaces of stalagmites, columns and other stalactites, with a height of 15 to 50cm and width of 10 to 16cm.
4. Curtain-shaped drapery	It is mostly called stone curtain or stone purdah due to its curtain-like shape; it develops along the cave wall with a height of 15 to 23m (max.: over 30m) and width of 10 to 17m (max.: nearly 100 meters).	They are important sightseeing landscapes which widely distributed anywhere in the cave.Typical representatives: Picturesque Landscape, Zhijin Window
5 Waterfall-shaped stone waterfall	It develops along the cave wall in ladder pattern. It looks like a waterfall in large scale with a height of 15 to 26m and width of 9 to 15m.