NANJING HILLS
Yangshan is located in the Nanjing Hills, east of the
city of Nanjing, Jiangning County, Jiangsu Province, eastern China. The
Nanjing Hills are fairly geologically complex. The rocks range in age
from Precambrian to Tertiary, and are structurally deformed (folded &
faulted).
Cliffs of gray limestone abound at Yangshan - these
cliffs expose the Xixia Limestone (Chihsia Limestone) (Lower
Permian). The cliffs have been modified - gigantic stone blocks (stone
tablets) have been chiseled from the hillsides. These blocks were
intended for Emperor Yongle's tomb. After being cut from the hillsides,
it was realized that the blocks were far too heavy for transportation (even by
today's standards). The stone tablets have remained at Yangshan to this
day. Emperor Yongle (real name Zhu Di) was the 3rd emperor of ancient
China's Ming Dynasty. He ruled from 1402 to 1424 A.D.
Looking ~S.
The Xixia Limestone is a shallow marine unit deposited
on the ancient Yangtze Platform, a long-lived depositional feature of the South
China Block. Orogenic deformation of the Nanjing Hills area took place
during the Mesozoic (Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous). This deformation
was associated with final welding events of the North China Block-South China
Block collision.