Dabie Mountains

The Dabie Mountains (traditional Chinese: 大別山; simplified Chinese: 大别山; pinyin: Dàbié Shān) are a major mountain range located in central China. Running northwest-to-southeast, they form the main watershed between the Huai and Yangtze rivers. The range also marks the boundary between Hubei Province and its neighbors of Henan (to the north) and Anhui (to the east).

Dabie Mountains
Dabie Mountains in Jinzhai County, Anhui as seen from the Hewu Railway
Highest point
Elevation1,777 m (5,830 ft) 1,774 meters (5,820 ft)
Coordinates31°15′N 115°00′E
Geography
Dabie Mountains
Location in China
LocationChina

The western part of Dabie Mountains has a low elevation of only 1,000–1,300 feet (300–400 meters), though there are a few peaks rising to 3,000 feet (900 meters). The eastern part is higher, averaging more than 3,300 feet (1,000 meters). The highest peak is Mount Tianzhu at 5,820 feet (1,774 meters), with several others topping 5,000 feet (1,500 meters) including the 1,729.13 meters (5,673.0 ft) high Tiantangzhai.

Landscape

The range is heavily forested (about 85% coverage) and yields valuable bamboo as well as oak, particularly cork oak, making it China's chief cork-producing area. The region is median income, and subsistence agriculture is the heart of its economy with rice and tea predominating.

The main transportation route across the higher range is from Macheng in Hubei to Huangchuan in Hunan, through the Huai River valley. The main rail and road crossings go north from Wuhan, through the lower elevations.

In 2009, the high-speed Hewu Passenger Railway opened, connecting Hefei (capital of Anhui) with Wuhan (capital of Hubei) along a short direct route. It uses a number of tunnels when crossing the Dabie range.

Geology

Geologically, the Dabie Mountains are characterized by the occurrence of eclogite-facies ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic rocks. Geographically, the range is a complex, stressed structure, making it and the surrounding area subject to earthquakes. In late 2005, a 5.7 magnitude earthquake centered in the northwest corner of Jiangxi province, just south of Jiujiang on the Yangtze killed at least 15 people, injured hundreds, and left several thousand people homeless. It caused tremors in Qichun County in Hubei province and beyond, even reaching as far as the provincial capital of Wuhan.

International Forest Park

This scenic park centered on Tiantangzhai is a key tourist attraction in the highest part of the Dabie mountain range. Total area of the park is 300 square kilometers. Located in Hubei province's Luotian County and close to the border with Anhui Province, the park is about 68 kilometers from Luotian town, 140 kilometers from Macheng, 150 kilometers from Huangshi, and 210 kilometers from the Hubei provincial capital, Wuhan.

References

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