Changshan Geopark is awarded the UNESCO Global Geopark certificate at a ceremony in Paris. [Photo/Tide News]

Changshan Geopark in Quzhou's Changshan county, East China's Zhejiang province, was awarded the UNESCO Global Geopark certificate at a ceremony in Paris on April 27.

On April 15, the park was designated as a UNESCO Global Geopark at the 224th session of the UNESCO Executive Board in Paris.

The park covers about 1,043 square kilometers and boasts rich biodiversity, varied vegetation, and abundant fossils, including graptolites, trilobites, and conodonts. Its landscape features early-stage reef-karst formations, dramatic granite peaks, and the scenic waters of the Changshan River.

The park is home to China's first "Golden Spike", which refers to the Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP). The GSSPs are reference points on stratigraphic sections of rock that define the lower boundaries of stages on the International Chronostratigraphic Chart, ratified by the International Commission on Stratigraphy, a part of the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS).

Showcasing more than 1 billion years of geological history, the park preserves a continuous stratigraphic record from the Neoproterozoic to the Cenozoic, making it one of eastern Asia's most complete geological sequences.

Experts from IUGS and the Global Geoparks Network praised Changshan for its achievements in protecting geological heritage.

Changshan plans to develop study tours, international research bases, and themed cultural tourism offerings, transforming its geological strengths into economic benefits.