About 10 million years ago, this valley began to take shape under the effect of tectonic forces. The Eurasian Plate and the North China Block began to separate.
Located in the vast Loess Plateau in north-central China, the Pinglu Rift Valley bears witness to the Earth's dynamic geological history.
With an area of approximately 400,000 square kilometers it is an impressive example of the constant evolution of the Earth's crust, shaped by the forces exerted deep within our planet.
The Rift Valley contains a thick sedimentary sequence of the Pinglu Neogene Age. It extends for approximately 10 kilometers and measures approximately 1 kilometer in width, at its deepest point the crack measures approximately 100 metres.
Rupture of major faults caused major earthquakes, including 1303 Hongdong (with over 200,000 deaths), 1556 Shaanxi (830,000 deaths), 1626 Lingqiu (>5,200 deaths), 1695 Linfen (>52,600 deaths), and 1815 Pinglu (>13,000 deaths).