The Lesser Xingan mountain range in northeastern China is covered in deep forest, a type of landscape that can conceal geological characteristics so well that even remarkable landforms may go undiscovered by scientists for generations. Locals in the Heilongjiang Province's city of Yilan had long been aware of an odd circular ridge in the forest that they called Quanshan, or circle mountain ridge. However, they had no reason to believe it was anything other than a peculiar feature of the area. This peaceful forest feature was actually the remnant of a cataclysmic collision from Earth's distant past, as discovered after a rigorous drilling operation and a new examination of satellite photos.
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