Heshigten or Hexigten Global Geopark (, kè shàkè téng shì jiè dì zhì gà Âng yuán) is a UNESCO Global Geopark in Hexigten Banner, Chifeng city, Inner Mongolia, China. Its 1,750 km<sup>2</sup> area is contained in eight separate areas of scenic beauty and geologic significance, including volcanic, glacial, and desert features.
The park was designated a National Geopark of China by the Ministry of Land and Resources on December 10, 2001, and as a World Geopark by UNESCO on February 11, 2005.
The park is situated in Heshigten Banner, 210 km northwest of the urban area of Chifeng City and 400 km north of Beijing, capital of China. It lies at the convergence of several geographic regions: the Greater Khingan Mountains to the east, the Yan Mountains to the south, and the Hunshandake Sandland to the southwest. The collision belt of the North China Platform and the Xingmeng Geosyncline also runs through Hexigten. The eight park areas are scattered throughout the area, sampling glacial, volcanic, desert, and hydrological land forms of scenic beauty and geological significance. Altogether, the park covers 1,750 km<sup>2</sup> out of Hexigten Banner's total area of 20,673 km<sup>2</sup>.
The Arshihaty granite forest (, from Mongolian "steep peaks") in northern Hexigten Banner is a "forest" of stone columns created by frost splitting, freezing and thawing cycles, and erosion by wind. The granite columns are unusual in their strong horizontal segmentation. Five scenic areas in the granite forest are nicknamed the moon castle (æÂÂ亮åÂÂå ¡), sworn brothers (æ¡ÂÃ¥ÂÂç»Âä¹Â), eagle with folded wings (éÂÂé¹°æÂÂç¿ ), fortress besieged (å´åÂÂ), and live folk entertainment (æ°Âä¿ÂçÂÂ活娱ä¹Â).
The Qingshan granite mortars area () is a landscape of glacial potholes similar to giant's kettles. These are round pits in the rock, formed by whirlpool-like swirling water during the Quaternary period. The two-square-kilometer area contains over 300 potholes ranging in size from 50 cm to a few meters, with shapes resembling pots, jars, spoons, buckets, and basins.
Dali Nur (Chinese è¾¾éÂÂ诺尠or è¾¾æ¥诺å°Â) is a lake in the western part of Hexigten Banner, with several park areas near its shores. The Dali Nur volcanic group (è¾¾éÂÂ诺å°Âç«山群) lies on the northwest shore. Volcanic features include a basalt plateau and the large "plugs" of extinct volcanos, which once formed islands in the lake when water levels were higher. The plugs are now isolated hills.
Mount Huanggangliang is the highest peak in the Greater Khingan mountain range, with a peak at 2029 m. Above 1500âÂÂ1700 m there are "island-like" permafrost areas, remaining from the last glaciation.
The park includes a mineral hot spring bath area at Reshuitang (çÂÂæ°´å¡Â) in the eastern part of Hexigten.
The Pingdingshan (平顶山) glacial cirques are remnants of the Quaternary, in the southeast part of Hexigten Banner. The existence of cirques and other Quaternary glacial features in Hexigten are importance evidence of the glacial history of northern China.
The Xar Moron River (, Xilamulun) flows to the northeast through Hexigten Banner. The vicinity of the Xar Moron was the original homeland of the Khitan people. In the southwest of Hexigten, the river forms a deep "grand canyon" which is included as one of the park areas.
() is one of the four largest sand lands in China, covering an area of 53,000 km<sup>2</sup>. It is an ecologically sensitive region, undergoing rapid desertification because of overgrazing: from the 1960s to 2000, the fraction of Hunshandake occupied by sand dunes increased from 2% to 33%.
The sandland park area with its dunes is located in the part of Hunshandake on the south shore of Dali Nur.