The Jinping are sometimes classified as a southern subrange of the Shaluli Mountains, a component range of the Hengduan.

[3] The Jinping's vertical relief and the Yalong River's 300 m (980 ft) elevation drop from one side to the other make it an optimal source of hydroelectric energy.

The Jinping-II Dam, a little further downstream, diverts the water of the Yalong River nearly 17 km (11 mi) under the Jinping Mountains to the east side of the bend.

[5] More than 13.2 million m3 of earth was excavated for the construction of Jinping-II's power station below the mountains.

This institution specializes in the research of dark matter as the location deep below the surface of the earth shields the laboratory from interfering cosmic rays.