Secret Ailao | What are the treasures in Ailao Mountain and where are the dangers?

On December 15, the Natural Resources Comprehensive Survey Command Center of the China Geological Survey announced that the cause of the death of four geological survey personnel in Yunnan's Ailao Mountain has been found. According to a joint on-site investigation by experts in the fields of public security, geology, and meteorology, the main cause of the four deaths was: excessive physical exertion due to long-term mountain climbing, and sudden strong winds and sudden drops in temperature in the area where the incident occurred, which caused hypothermia.

In "The Road Not Taken", Frost said, "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by. It changed my life." These geologists chose the road less traveled by, and in the process of pushing the boundaries of human knowledge, they changed our lives. Here we pay tribute to all geologists!

While we feel so sorry for these four young geologists, we can't help but wonder why these young men who all have some field work experience and military service experience would also encounter such an accident? What treasures and dangers are there in Ailao Mountain? Next, let's go into the secret place and find out!

Ailao Mountain is located in the central part of Yunnan Province, my country. It belongs to the southern extension of the Yunling Mountains of the Hengduan Mountains. It runs from northwest to southeast, with a straight and continuous shape. It starts from the southern part of Dali Prefecture in the north, passes through Chuxiong Prefecture and Yuxi, and reaches Luchun County of Honghe Prefecture on the China-Vietnam border in the south. It is 500 kilometers long. The highest peak is Damaoyan Peak in Xinping County, with an altitude of 3,166 meters. Ailao Mountain is the watershed between Lixian River and Yuanjiang River, and also the boundary between the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and the Hengduan Mountains. Under the complex geological landforms and changeable climate environment, it has nurtured a long history and culture, rich biological resources and endless geological mineral deposits.

1. Long history and culture

Ailao Mountain is full of mystery. It is named after the ancient Ailao Kingdom that existed here from the Warring States Period to the Western Han Dynasty. It is the "boundary mountain" between the eastern part of this border kingdom and the Central Plains Dynasty. The ancient Ailao Kingdom is an important ancient civilization in the southwestern border of my country, with an ancient history and colorful culture. At least 9 of the 56 ethnic groups in my country are descendants of the ancient Ailao Kingdom. During the reign of Emperor Ming of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Ailao Kingdom was destroyed, and "the Ailao and Bonan counties were established in its territory, and Yongchang County was established together with the six counties in the western part of Yizhou". Since the destruction of the Ailao Kingdom, although all the tribal people belonged to the rule of the Central Plains Dynasty, they actually still implemented internal self-government, and the Han and Tang Dynasty's policy of control was continued. It was not until the Song Dynasty that the rulers of the southwest region began to be proud of the position of Tusi appointed by the Central Plains Dynasty.

In the history of the southwest region, there is a trade route that can be compared with the Silk Road, which is the "Ancient Tea Horse Road" known as the "Southern Silk Road". There are many sections of the Ancient Tea Horse Road scattered in Yunnan Province. Among them, in the hinterland of Ailao Mountain in Xinping, there are many ruins and passes such as the iron smelting furnace of the Ming Dynasty, the Qianjiazhai ruins, the blacksmith shop, and the inn and flower shop ruins, all of which record the prosperous scene of commerce more than 1,500 years ago. Not to mention the famous Pu'er tea in Yunnan, many ancient tea trees are also distributed in the Ailao Mountain.

2. Rich biological resources

As early as 1981, the Yunnan Province approved the establishment of a nature reserve in Ailao Mountain, and it was promoted to a national nature reserve in 1987. It was selected by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and listed as a positioning observation station for the United Nations "Man and Biosphere" forest ecosystem. The reserve is located in the upper part of the middle and northern section of Ailao Mountain, along the ridge, in an oblique and narrow area, about 102 kilometers long from north to south, and an average width of about 5 kilometers from east to west, with an area of ​​50,360 square kilometers. It is administratively under the jurisdiction of Chuxiong, Shuangbai, Xinping, Jingdong, Zhenyuan and other five counties.

The Ailao Mountain Nature Reserve aims to protect the subtropical mid-mountain moist evergreen broad-leaved forest, play a role in water conservation, and protect precious wild animals such as the black gibbon and green peacock. It is a natural zoo and plant specimen garden and a hotspot of biodiversity.

The Ailao Mountains have rich plant species, diverse types, complete vertical belt spectrum, and obvious transitional characteristics, preserving a harmonious and stable natural ecosystem. The subtropical mountain plants with lush forests and dense vegetation constitute one of the largest areas of evergreen broad-leaved forests in my country. In the virgin forests of the Ailao Mountains, there are towering ancient trees and intertwined vines. There are many rare flowers and trees, such as Yunnan horse chestnut, red flower magnolia, comb tooth cycad, etc., as well as large areas of azalea, wild camellia and horsetail flower trees.

Ailao Mountain is rich in wildlife resources and is the habitat of many forest animals. Dozens of national key protected wild animals, such as black gibbons, Yunnan golden monkeys, and green peacocks, thrive here. Ailao Mountain is also a good place for birds to overwinter and a safe passage for migratory birds to migrate south in autumn. It is known as the "Bird Kingdom". According to statistics, there are 323 bird species in Ailao Mountain, accounting for 29% of the total number of birds in the country. Among them, there are 55 species of thrush alone, accounting for 42% of the total number of thrushes in the country, which is more than the "Hometown of Thrushes" Wuliang Mountain. Every autumn, countless migratory birds migrate southward from the eastern slope of Ailao Mountain. The local myth of hundreds of birds paying homage to the phoenix has been passed down from generation to generation.

3. Endless geological mineral resources Ailao Mountain is located at the boundary of the Yangtze Platform and the western Yunnan fold belt. To the east of Ailao Mountain is the red soil plateau in central Yunnan, and to the west is the undulating high mountain canyon of the Hengduan Mountains. As the dividing line between the eastern and western geomorphic units and natural geographical regions of Yunnan Province, Ailao Mountain has a special geographical location, complex landforms, dense and gloomy vegetation, and changeable local climate. There are still many areas that have not been set foot by human society.

Ailao Mountain is a block mountain that has been rising since the Quaternary Period. The mountain is tall and thick, and the remaining plateau surface is often seen on the top of the mountain. It is majestic and magnificent. Due to the huge vertical drop of the mountain, the climate change from the foot of the mountain to the top is very significant, and obvious vertical zoning of vegetation can be observed. In addition, due to the special geographical location of Ailao Mountain, the warm and humid air currents from the Indian Ocean affect the south slope and often gather at the foot of the mountain to form an endless sea of ​​clouds. On the contrary, the Yuanjiang River Valley in the north is abnormally dry and hot. It is the hottest place in Yunnan. The temperature in winter can reach 30℃, making it a paradise for the growth of various crops.

As the western edge of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, the karst landscape of Ailao Mountain is also very rich. Carbonate rocks are distributed in a belt along the Zhegan River, a tributary of the Lixian River, making karst landscapes such as stone forests, peaks, isolated peaks, and caves emerge in an endless stream. At the northwest end of Ailao Mountain, there are two soil forest landscapes, Dali Nanjian Soil Forest and Pu'er Jingdong Soil Forest. The Nanjian Soil Forest is thick and magnificent with bright colors, while the Jingdong Soil Forest is angular and deep in color. Together with the Yuanmou Soil Forest and the Yongde Soil Forest, they are known as the four major soil forests in Yunnan. At the southern end of Ailao Mountain, the Hani people of Honghe have been farming for generations and built the world-famous Yuanyang Terraces on the hillside, which has become an immortal agricultural miracle and a model of harmonious coexistence between man and nature. It has been listed as a World Heritage Site.

The Ailao Mountain area is rich in mineral resources, such as gold, silver, copper, marble, granite, crystal, etc., among which the exploration and development of the Ailao Mountain gold belt is of great significance. In the Ailao Mountain metamorphic belt, there are important gold mines such as Laowangzhai Gold Mine, Mojiang Gold Mine, Daping Gold Mine, etc. distributed from north to south. It is an important gold mineralization area in my country. Among them, the Zhenyuan Laowangzhai Gold Mine has a proven reserve of more than 100 tons, which is a super-large gold mine that has attracted worldwide attention.

Ailao Mountain not only has a long history and culture, rich biological resources, and endless geological mineral deposits, but also is full of dangers in the hinterland of the mountain forests where few people go. Due to the high density of forests in the deep mountain areas, the damp and cold environment under the forests, coupled with the complex topography and changeable local climate, it is extremely difficult to travel through the forests for investigation, even for local mountain people. Ailao Mountain, which has been regarded as a place of malaria in the south since ancient times, has high mountains and deep valleys, ravines, wild beasts and disordered magnetic fields, making it a secret place that is difficult for ordinary people to penetrate. At the same time, it has also become a key area for scientific investigation and treasure hunting in the mountains. With the continuous innovation of scientific and technological means and logistics support, the working conditions of geological exploration and resource investigation have been greatly improved compared with the past. However, there are still many dangerous and dangerous situations that require field expedition team members to work tirelessly and rush to the mountains and seas. In order to complete the investigation work, generations of pioneers choose to devote themselves selflessly and move forward courageously. Salute to all geological team members engaged in field exploration and resource investigation!