The Stone Forest or Shilin is a notable set of limestone formations located in Shilin Yi Autonomous County, Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China, near Shilin approximately 120 km (75 mi) from the provincial capital Kunming. The tall rocks seem to emanate from the ground in the manner of stalagmites, with many looking like petrified trees thereby creating the illusion of a forest made of stone. Since 2007, two parts of the site, the Naigu Stone Forest (乃古石林) and Suogeyi Village (所各邑村), have been UNESCO World Heritage Sites as part of the South China Karst.

In this handout image provided by NASA, the space shuttle Endeavour is seen on launch pad 39a as a storm passes by prior to the rollback of the Rotating Service Structure (RSS) April 28, 2011, at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. During the 14-day mission, Endeavour and the STS-134 crew will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) and spare parts, including two S-band communications antennas, a high-pressure gas tank and additional spare parts for Dextre. Launch is targeted for April 29 at 3:47 p.m. EDT.

An employee of the British Museum examines a silver coin dating from 900 AD which is part of the Silverdale Viking Hoard on December 14, 2011 in London, England. The hoard, which was discovered by local metal-detectorist Darren Webster in North Lancashire, comprises of 201 silver objects including arm-rings, coins, finger-rings, ingots, brooch fragments and fine wire braid. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

An Indian woman wrapped in a shawl travels with others on a bullock cart on a cold day at Jhansi district, in Bundelkhand, India, Monday, December 29, 2014. Most parts of north India Monday continued to shiver under biting cold with the mercury dipping several notches. (Photo by Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP Photo)

A gallery staff member walks past Fleeting Monument (1985) by artist Cornelia Parker, one of the works on display at Yorkshire Sculpture Parks Longside Gallery as part of the “Making It: Sculpture in Britain 1977-1986” exhibition on March 27, 2015 in Barnsley, England. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Participants take part in the Color Run near the Eiffel Tower in Paris April 19, 2015. The Color Run is a five-kilometre race, held in cities across the U.S. and also worldwide, with the aim of promoting healthy living and to benefit a charity that organizers choose in each of the cities that the run visits. Participants are doused from head to toe in different colors at each kilometre. (Photo by Benoit Tessier/Reuters)

A fireball erupts from a 16-inch gun on the battleship USS Wisconsin during a live fire exercise in the Persian Gulf, October 13, 1990. The ship is in the Gulf as part of Operation Desert Shield. (Photo by John Gaps III/AP Photo)

Korean Air flight attendants photograph a therapy dog dressed in a Superman Halloween costume, as part of a program to de-stress passengers at the international boarding gate area of LAX airport in Los Angeles, California, United States, October 27, 2015. (Photo by Lucy Nicholson/Reuters)