Thread by @BaytAlFann

Colourful mountains in China & Peru are geological wonders of the earth. Their fantastic colours are due to the presence of various minerals in the sandstone formation. Many wouldn’t think coloured mountains existed, but the Qur’an mentions them

A thread on colourful mountains…

1/ The Colourful Mountains of China & Peru are Earth's paint palette. They are known for their otherworldly colours painted over the tops of rolling mountains.

Colourful Mountain, Peru

2/ Some believe these multicoloured mountains are the same colourful mountains that are mentioned in the Qur’an (the holy book of Muslims) which are made of different shades present on the surface of planet Earth.

Colourful Mountains, China

3/ This verse in the Qur’an speaks of the colourful mountains.

‘Do you not see that Allah sends down rain from the sky, and We produce thereby fruits of varying colors? And in the mountains are tracts, white and red of varying shades and [somel extremely black’ - Qur’an 35:27

4/ The word in Arabic used to describe these tracts of white and red of varying shades means distinct lines or patterns of different, bright colours.

5/ Many have wondered if these colourful mountains really exist? And if so, where are they located?

Explorers have seen these breathtaking colourful mountains in Peru and in Western China. Works of art on the Earth’s surface.

6/ The Colourful Mountains are an example of how geology catches our attention and begs the question: What causes the Mountains to be coloured the way they are?

7/ The Zhangye Danxia National Park is located in the Gansu province in China’s northwest covering 200 square miles. The site was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009 and is the destination for many Chinese and international tourists

8/ Zhangye Danxia Landform Geological Park is very popular among tourists, and it has been listed among the ‘most beautiful’ places in China and the world, numerous times.

9/ The rock formations and rolling hills almost look as if they were painted. The landscapes are surreal.

10/ The colourful landscapes were created by sandstone and minerals being layered atop each other over the years with the tectonic plates shifting creating angled painted layers across the rock formation and sandstone rolling hills.

11/ Rain, wind, and time have further sculpted the rock formations and rolling hills into various displays of pillars and ravines. The erosion and tectonic plates have worked together to create amazing patterns to be viewed by all.

12/ The Colourful Mountain, also called Montaña de Siete Colores (Mountain of Seven Colours), is located in the Andes in the Cusco region of Peru.

13/ Vinicunca Mountain in Peru, was discovered in 2015 when the snow covering it melted, revealing the natural beauty of the rock beneath

14/ Formed by weathering, environmental conditions and sedimentary deposits over time, the mountain’s unique minerology created a marbling effect, with layered hues of gold, lavender, red and turquoise towering into the sky.

15/ Geologists and experts in the field affirm that this phenomenon has been discovered thanks to the melting of the glaciers that formerly covered the mountain and that constantly received snow until the early nineties.

16/ In particular, the main colours that the naked eye can see most clearly on Vinicunca are usually: pink, white, red, blue, yellow.

17/ Pink is a combination of red clay mixed with sand & mudstone, blue is a combination of phylite and magnesium clay, yellow is from sulfide-rich lime sandstone and finally white is from sandstone combined with other minerals. rocks containing calcium carbonate.

18/ The Colourful Mountain of Peru is a natural wonde, which in recent years has become a tourist hotspot

19/The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has said that Allah is beautiful & He loves beauty. Thus, everything in the universe has been created beautiful, with purpose & in proportion & measure. The colourful mountains of China & Peru are an opportunity to reflect on the beauty of the Earth