Qútángguān (Kuímén)
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瞿塘關 Qutangguan also known as 夔門 Kui Gate, is the eastern entrace to the Three Gorges. The river here is flanked by sheer cliffs on both sides. White Salt Mountain is on the southern bank and the Red Armor, on the northern bank. Before the Three Gorges Dam the sheer cliffs on either side of the river, acted to narrow the river to just over 100 meters, squeezing it so that the waters struggled in a torrent to pass through. The river would rise 10 to 20 meters in one day, and the water level would vary by 50 meters in a year! White Salt Mountain appears white because of the dissolved calcium deposited on the rock surface, while the weathered rocks of Red Armor Mountain are coated with dissolved ferric oxide. |