Taihang Shan

a mountain range in eastern China. The Taihang Shan extends for about 400 km from north to south and rises to a maximum elevation of 2,359 m. The eastern slopes, dropping sharply to the North China Plain, are deeply cut by river valleys; the western slopes descend gently to the Loess Plateau. The mountains are composed mainly of Precambrian gneisses and granites and Lower Paleozoic shales and limestones. They are an important climatic boundary, preventing the monsoon from penetrating the interior of the country. The mountains have coal, graphite, and asbestos deposits, and there are residues of broad-leaved forests on the eastern slopes.