The restoration and conservation project of the 'Golden Spike' geological relics on Majia Mountain and Pingding Mountain in Chaohu city, Anhui province was officially launched in late September.

In addition to restoration, the project will help prepare for a new geological park in the area.

The 'Golden Spike' is actually a nickname for 'global boundary stratotype section and point' (GSSP), a geological term. As a precious storage for information from the Neopaleozoic to Mesozoic eras, Pingding Mountain was recognized by both domestic and international experts as an ideal candidate for GSSP. A restoration and conservation plan for the geological relics on Majia Mountain and Pingding Mountain was later released, as well as a series of measures in accordance with the plan.

The project will be based on the principle of only adopting measures suitable to local conditions. Started earlier in September, the project will take roughly 365 days to complete.

According to Xujin, deputy director of land resources bureau, the 'Golden Spike' represents the geological structure of different sections in different phases of geological development.

A lot of works still remains to be done to confirm the site as a 'Golden Spike', in addition to the application to become a national geological park. Restoration and conservation are only the first steps.

Edited by Michael Thai, Huang Pei