Phang Nga Bay is a 400 km² bay in the Andaman Sea between the island of Phuket and the mainland of the
Malay peninsula of southern Thailand.
Since 1981 a big part of the bay is protected as the Ao Phang Nga National Park.
It is situated in Phang Nga Province and was raised by UNESCO to the world cultural heritage.
Phang Nga is a shallow bay with 42 islands, comprising shallow marine waters and intertidal forested wetlands,
with at least 28 species of mangrove; seagrass beds and coral reefs are also present.
At least 88 bird species, including the globally threatened Malaysian Plover and Asian Dowitcher can be found
within the site, as well as 82 fish species, 18 reptiles, three amphibians and 17 mammal species.
Geologic origin:
During the youngtertiary, about 30 to 50 million years ago, wide regions of asia were raised by tectonic movements
and the seabed, covered with shelllimestone depositions, was drained.
The consistently humid warm temperatures and the surface water which seeped into the porous subsoil let the
lime sediments weather.
Funnel-shaped valleys where formed, so-called dolinas and gigantic limestone caves.
With progressive erosion the dolinas increased more and more in the depth, while the cave covers often collapsed.
Thus originated the tower and cone mattocks which are typical today for many regions of South-East Asia.
There are similar bizarr sceneries, for example, in Guilin in China or in the Halong bay in the north of Vietnam.
The fact that the mattock towers are in the water in Phang Nga bay, is the result of an other tectonic movement.
The sea scenery originated from a overturning of the Malayan peninsula at which the western part sank and the
eastern was lifted however.
In the Andamanensee whole lime massifs "drowned" during this tectonic process.
Only the peaks of the limestone rocks, overgrown with jungle, rise as islands from the sea.
Tourism:
Ko Tapu is a steep rocky monolith - This rock column lies approximately 200 meters offshore
of the two-islet pair known as Ko Khao Phingkan.
Ko Tapu has become a popular tourist attraction since it was featured in the James Bond movie
"The Man with the Golden Gun" in 1974; for this reason, it is also often called "James Bond Island"!.
To get credit and claim a "Find" for this EarthCache you must visite Phang Nga bay and post a picture of yourself/s IN YOUR LOG with James Bond rock in the backside and your hands formed to a "Golden Gun"!
Don't send the picture via messenger or mail to me!!!
Please answer me following questions via e-mail: Estimate how tall the rock is? Do not wait for my logpermission - Happy Caching!
