The remains of an ancient volcano near the shore of Zhangzhou were recently chosen to be a National Geological Park of China.

The park, located in southeast China's Fujian Province, is characterized by the ancient Niutoushan crater in the East China Sea, one of only several intact elliptical craters on the seabed in the world.

The diameter of this crater is several dozen meters, and its central part is sunken slightly

According to experts, this volcano has erupted three times, and the latest eruption took place 22 million years ago.

The magmatic rocks around the crater have been eroded by waves into piles of reeves that are various in shape and closely interlocking.

More exciting and attractive are the numerous 2-feet-high basalt pillars located on the seabed near the shore. Covering an area of nearly 7000 hectares, these pillars angle towards the deep sea, and are reminiscent of the famous terra-cotta warriors and horses of the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC.).

(People’s Daily 11/28/2000)