Magnificent summer scenery of Zhuo'er Mountain, which features Danxia landform, in Qilian county of Haibei Tibetan autonomous prefecture, northwest China's Qinghai Province. (Photo: China News Service/Zhao Haimei)

Local authorities in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province said on Monday that they have launched an investigation into an incident where a tourist allegedly trampled on the Danxia landform, a range of colorful erosional landscapes, to take photos at a scenic spot. 

Videos released by media on Sunday show a woman climbing over a guardrail and stamping through the Danxia landform to pose for several photos at the Bolanggu Scenic Spot in Jingbian county, which has sparked an outcry among netizens on social media. 

Bolanggu, or known as Wave Valley, covers a total area of 44 square kilometers. It is a red sandstone landform, a rare precious geological formation that forms on continental red sedimentary beds through erosion. The landscape is comparable with the Wave, a sandstone rock formation located in Arizona, the US.

"Law enforcement officers have started investigating the incident and the accused woman, if found guilty, will be penalized according to the law," the Jingbian County Cultural and Tourism Bureau said in a statement on Monday.

A staff member at the scenic spot told media on Sunday that it is prohibited to step on the Danxia landform as it can cause irreparable damage. 

"We have staff on patrols every day, and will stop people from violations or call the police if necessary," said the staff member. 

No patrols were around when the woman trampled on the landform, according to the video. Some netizens suggested that the woman be added to the national tourism blacklist, an initiative announced by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 2018 to regulate the tourism market.

In July, after a man was fined 200 yuan ($28) and apologized for trampling over a Danxia landform area to take pictures in the Zhangye National Geopark, Northwest China's Gansu Province, a staff member at the park noted it takes at least 60 years for footprints to erode from a Danxia landform. 

"Many tourists think that the Danxia landscape is the same as the ordinary mountain. But it's like an ancient fossil and if someone steps on it, the surface layer of crumbly rock can be easily destroyed, which was very difficult to recover from," the staff member said.

The area that the tourist stepped on in Zhangye was covered by loess, which did not result in substantial damage to the Danxia landform, but his behavior violated relevant regulations and laws, according to local authorities.

Deliberately defacing cultural relics, scenic spots and historical sites, or damaging sculptures in public places, is subject to a penalty of up to 200 yuan. Violators will bear criminal responsibility and face serious consequences, according to the law. 

In 2010, "China Danxia" was officially inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List at the 34th session of World Heritage Committee held in Brasilia, Brazil.