Shilin Stone Forest is a UNESCO karst pinnacle field in Yunnan, China - hundreds of limestone towers rising from a plateau grassland. Toggle the pinnacle height highlight to see the tallest towers pick out against the shorter formations, and the Ashima marker to see the tallest pinnacle in the field, named for the Yi ethnic folk legend.
Published figures: core scenic area about 350 sq km; limestone deposited about 270 million years ago; pinnacle landform sculpted over roughly the last 2.7 million years; many towers stand 20-30 m tall, with the tallest approaching about 40 m.
Drag to orbit and scroll or pinch to zoom. Everything renders on your device with WebGL.
Stone Forest (Shilin) 3D Explorer
This browser explorer shows the Shilin Stone Forest in cross-section: a dense field of gray-tan limestone pinnacles rising from a plateau grassland, with a marker at the tallest pinnacle in the scene, named after the Yi ethnic folk heroine Ashima.
Shilin Stone Forest sits in Shilin Yi Autonomous County, Yunnan province, China, about 120 km southeast of Kunming. The limestone was laid down as marine sediment roughly 270 million years ago during the Permian period, when the region lay under a shallow sea; the pinnacle landform seen today was then carved by water infiltrating and dissolving the rock along cracks over roughly the last 2.7 million years, leaving hundreds of narrow towers standing apart on the plateau. The site is part of the South China Karst UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed in 2007. A famous named formation, Ashima Rock, is tied to a well-known Yi folk legend about a young woman turned to stone.
- Toggle the pinnacle height highlight to see the tallest towers pick out from the shorter field
- Toggle the Ashima marker to see the tallest pinnacle in the scene
- Read the scenic area, rock age, and pinnacle height figures in the panel
- Drag to orbit, scroll or pinch to zoom
- Runs fully in the browser with the vendored three.js engine - no account, no upload
| Figure | Published value |
|---|---|
| Location | Shilin Yi Autonomous County, Yunnan, China - about 120 km southeast of Kunming |
| Core scenic area | about 350 sq km |
| Limestone age | deposited about 270 million years ago (Permian period) |
| Pinnacle landform age | sculpted over roughly the last 2.7 million years |
| Pinnacle height | many towers 20-30 m tall, tallest approaching about 40 m |
| Plateau elevation | about 1,750-2,000 m above sea level |
| UNESCO status | part of the South China Karst World Heritage Site, inscribed 2007 |
| Named landmark | Ashima Rock, tied to Yi ethnic folk legend |
For another dramatic rock landform carved by water and weathering, see the Grand Canyon 3D Explorer, or compare with the slot-canyon light show in the Antelope Canyon 3D Explorer.
Everything renders on your device with WebGL. The 3D engine loads once (about 0.7 MB) and is cached.
This is an educational approximation - the pinnacle field, spacing, and vertical scale are schematic teaching cues, not survey terrain.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the Shilin Stone Forest?
In Shilin Yi Autonomous County, Yunnan province, China, about 120 km southeast of Kunming.
How old are the limestone pinnacles?
The limestone itself was deposited about 270 million years ago during the Permian period. The pinnacle shapes seen today were then carved by water dissolving the rock over roughly the last 2.7 million years.
How tall are the stone pillars?
Many towers stand 20-30 m tall, with the tallest approaching about 40 m.
Who is Ashima?
Ashima is the heroine of a well-known Yi ethnic folk legend. A tall, distinctively shaped pinnacle in the park is named Ashima Rock after her.
Is Shilin a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
Yes. It is part of the South China Karst World Heritage Site, inscribed by UNESCO in 2007.
Is this a scientific terrain model?
No. It is an educational explorer using published figures - the pinnacle field, spacing, and vertical scale are schematic teaching cues, not survey terrain.