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Cluster of Volcanoes in Tengchong
Tengchong is located between the India
Plate and Eurasia Plate, where crustal movements are active,
earthquakes frequently happen and volcanoes often erupt.
There are about 90 conspicuous cones now. Among them, 22
craters remain intact. Around the craters is a combination
of scubland, volcanic cinder and volcanic flow, forming
a wonderful view- the cluster of volcanoes in Tengchong.
Tengchong volcanoes rank first in China
in terms of their variety, size, good preservation and compact
distribution. The Tengchong Basin is surrounded by a group
of young dormant volcanoes, of which the most famous are
Mount Dayinshan, Mount Maanshan,
Mount Guipo, the Laifeng Hill, Mount Dakongshan and Mount
Xiaokongshan. Mount Dayinshan is known as "the First
Volcano" in Tengchong. The mountain is a conic volcano,
of which the crater has a diameter of 300 meters and a depth
of 100 meters. Mount Maanshan, which is 5 kilometers west
of the county seat, is a conic volcano, whose top seems
to have been cut off, thus looking like a saddle. Likewise,
Mount Guipo is also a conic volcano with its top cut off.
Mount Dakongshan, Mount Xianokongshan and Mount Heishan
stand in a line from north to south, with a distance of
1,000 meters between them. Their craters range in diameter
from 300 to 400 meters and have a depth of several dozen
meters. Around the craters there are some black, or red
pumice stones which are very light and will not sink into
water, so they are called "floating stones". While
visiting the cluster of volcanoes in Tengchong, you will
feel how wonderful Nature is, and such feelings can be hardly
obtained in any other place.
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