Hailuogou, located in Luding County, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China, is an ice-melting canyon originating from the east slope of Gongga Mountain, which is famous for its low-altitude modern glaciers, large-scale ice waterfalls and hot springs. Hailuogou Glacier is about 15 km long, and its tail end extends to the virgin forest area at an altitude of 2850 meters.
Hailuogou is a modern glacier with the lowest altitude at the same latitude in Asia. In addition, the huge gap of Hailuogou formed a unique vegetation zone and soil zone in nature, which gathered most plant species in China, and the scene was spectacular and unique.
Hailuogou Glacier was formed around 1600, which geologists call "modern glacier". Hailuogou Glacier keeps flowing, and the velocity varies from place to place: the average annual moving speed at the end of the glacier is about 3 ~ 8 meters, while the average annual moving speed at the front of the glacier can reach 165 meters.
Glaciers, glacial lakes, glaciers, glacier portals, ice cracks and ice belts caused by glacier movement, among which Glacier 1 is 14.7 km long, which is the longest among the three major glaciers and the lowest elevation and the largest area among the glaciers at the same latitude in Asia. Glacier No.2 and Glacier No.3 are 4.8 km and 4.2 km long respectively. Hailuogou Glacier in Gongga Mountain is gray and covered with huge stones.
Because Hailuogou Glacier has 5 kilometers of ice body entering the virgin forest, and its end extends down to 2850 meters above sea level, the glacier cuts the mountains on both sides of the valley during its flow, carrying a lot of pumice, stones, gravel and soil along with it, so the surface looks thick or light gray.
Located on the upper part of Hailuogou glacier, the Great Ice Waterfall is a huge and steep ice wall, with a height of1080m and a width of 500 ~1100m. It is the highest and largest ice waterfall in China. This huge solid ice waterfall, like a huge screen with indomitable spirit, stands above the glacier. When the ice surface collapses, the violent collision and friction between ice will lead to the discharge phenomenon. For a time, when it snows, the blue light flashes and the sound is like thunder, which is shocking and fascinating, and it can be called the wonders of nature. Above the Great Ice Waterfall is a huge snow basin with a diameter of 5500 meters, in which glaciers are formed.
Glacier tongue is a wonder of Hailuogou glacier, with an altitude of only 2850 meters. This is an accessible glacier, which can be boarded by men, women and children. Hailuogou glacier tongue is 6 kilometers long, 400 ~ 700 meters wide and 100 ~ 130 meters thick. Hailuogou glacier tongue rises from the Great Ice Waterfall, like a long tongue, passing through the cliffs on both sides, and reaching straight to the green virgin forest. Standing on the glacier, people can enjoy the wonderful landscape of tree-lined and snowy valleys on both sides, and also appreciate the magic of the "crystal world" on the glacier.
Another feature of Hailuogou is that in this world of ice and snow glaciers, there are large-flow hot springs, hot springs and even boiling springs. Springs gush from the ground, or waterfalls on stones. One of them is called "Hot Water Ditch", which is a unique alpine hot spring. The water quality is transparent and tasteless, clean and pollution-free. It can be drunk and bathed, which is beneficial to health and has special curative effect on rheumatism and various skin diseases. Hot springs are surrounded by dense virgin forests, with fresh air and looming mountains, just like a fairyland.
The unique geographical conditions of Hailuogou make the height difference in the ditch reach more than 6000 meters. Based on this, obvious multi-level climate zone, vegetation zone and soil zone are formed in the ditch, and 2500 kinds of wild plants from subtropical zone to cold zone are concentrated in one place. From palm trees and lush bamboo forests in the valley to towering old trees and colorful wild azaleas in the virgin forest, colorful herbal wildflowers and high-altitude lichens can be seen in Hailuogou.