Editing Mount Kinabalu (section)

== Geology ==
Mount Kinabalu is a massive [[pluton]] formed from [[granodiorite]] which is intrusive into [[sedimentary rock|sedimentary]] and [[ultrabasic rock]]s, and forms the central part, or core, of the Kinabalu massif. The granodiorite is intrusive into strongly folded strata, probably of [[Eocene]] to [[Miocene]] age, and associated ultrabasic and basic [[igneous rock]]s. It was pushed up from the Earth's crust as molten rock millions of years ago. In geological terms, it is a very young mountain as the granodiorite cooled and hardened only about 10 million years ago.

The present landform is considered to be a mid-[[Pliocene]] peneplain, arched and deeply dissected, through which the Kinabalu granodiorite body has risen in isostatic adjustment. It is still gaining roughly {{cvt|5|mm}} of height per annum.

During the [[Pleistocene]] Epoch of about 100,000 years ago, the mountain was covered by sheets of ice and [[glacier]]s. As these glaciers flowed down its slopes, they scoured the surface of Mount Kinabalu in the process and creating the {{cvt|1800.|m|ft|adj=on}} deep Low's Gully (named after [[Hugh Low]]) on its north side. Its granitic composition and the glacial formative processes are readily apparent when viewing its craggy rocky peaks.<ref name="P&L" />
[[File:Mount Kinabalu Sunlit Peak.jpg|alt=|left|thumb|Low's Peak, the summit of Mount Kinabalu]]

===IUGS geological heritage site===
In respect of it being 'one of the youngest granitic intrusions exposed on Earth and the site of spectacular tropical glacial landscapes', the [[International Union of Geological Sciences]] (IUGS) included the 'Mount Kinabalu Neogene granite' in its assemblage of 100 'geological heritage sites' around the world in a listing published in October 2022. The organisation defines an IUGS Geological Heritage Site as 'a key place with geological elements and/or processes of international scientific relevance, used as a reference, and/or with a substantial contribution to the development of geological sciences through history.'<ref>{{cite web |title=The First 100 IUGS Geological Heritage Sites |url=https://iugs-geoheritage.org/videos-pdfs/iugs_first_100_book_v2.pdf |website=IUGS International Commission on Geoheritage |publisher=IUGS |access-date=13 November 2022}}</ref>