1.Earth history

The Shilin (Stone Forest) Geopark is generally a carbonate terrain of Devonian, Carboniferous and Permian period, carbonate strata and diverse karst landforms provide best record to the regional (Yunnan and Guizhou Plateau) geological history.

Stone Forest area ended its marine history in the last stage of the Middle Permian and started its continental evolution right to the present. Covered respectively by basalt and lacustrine red beds, stone forest karst landforms of different ages have been preserved and re-exposed within the park's 365.7km2 area. The Shilin (Stone Forest) Geopark is therefore perhaps the only site in the world that preserves the oldest stone forest karst (Permian), and the place that reflects regional geological history of over 200 million years with successive karst landforms.

2.Geomorphology

On the global scale the Stone Forest Geopark is the best example preserving and displaying various pinnacle karst landforms, almost all existing pinnacle karst forms, such as spire, ruini-form, and emergent pinnacle, can be identified within this geopark. It is therefore regarded as the "Museum of Stone Forest Karst”. Both the karst landforms of ancient and recent and the karstification mechanism are of great geomorphologic significance.

3.Hydrogeology

Water plays a critical role in the formation of stone forest karst landform, currently the surface and ground water of the park and adjacent Lunan basin constitute an intact plateau-basin water system, featuring a typical local plateau drainage area and demonstrating the interrelationship between water and karst landform in the period since at least early Tertiary.

4.Paleontology

Abundant marine fossils contained in the Middle Permian carbonate rocks (Qixia and Maokou Formations) and terrestrial fossils in the Eocene and Oligocene red beds are of great significance in regional stratigraphical correlation, particularly in southern China.

5.Natural beauty

Shilin (Stone Forest) Geopark has long been regarded as one of the great natural wonders in the world because extraordinary wide variety of pinnacle karst forms and associated other karst elements like caves, lakes, waterfalls, as well as vegetation present exceptional natural beauty. The Shilin (Stone Forest) is therefore of great aesthetic value and has been reputed to be the natural model of Chinese classical garden art.