Abstract:

There is clear need for a genetic definition of Danxia landform based on well specific criteria matching geological observations. The Danxia landform is characterized by a cluster of isolated buttes with shapes of tall, flat-topped, steep, often vertical sided tables and towers of red sandstone and conglomerate. The buttes were created through the process of erosion (the gradual wearing away of rocks by water, wind, and ice) preferentially along orthogonal tensile joints or conjugate shear fractures within flat-lying sedimentary rocks. The Danxia landform was initially used by Chinese geologists after Mount Danxia in Guangdong as a characteristic stratum to distinguish it from other formations. Although its use is prevalent in China, the southwestern USA such as Arizona and Utah (e.g., Monument Valley) has the most typical collection of Danxia landforms in the world. In English, butte, mesa, tableland, hoodoo, inselberg, tent rock, and fairy chimney are commonly used to stand as synonyms for various Danxia landforms.

Key words: Danxia landform, red beds, geomorphology, collapse, karstification