The Bizarre Rock Formations of Yehliu Geopark in Taiwan.
Witness a different kind of rock formation in a fishing town in Taiwan. Yehliu Geopark is the place where naturally-formed rocks show off their odd shapes that may help them pass as otherworldly creations. If you’re in Taipei, Taiwan, it’s a great time-killer to travel to the northern coast and observe this amazing natural wonder.
Yehliu Geopark is located in the town of Wanli, which sits between the cities of Taipei and Keelung in New Taipei, Taiwan. The natural creation, part of the Daliao Miocene Formation, stretches approximately 1,700 meters into the ocean, formed as geological forces pushed the Datun Mountain out of the sea. The weird-looking rocks are called hoodoo stones and are described as tall, thin spires of rocks protruding from the bottom of an arid drainage basin or badland. These hoodoos grow and may reach a height of 1.5 to 45 meters.
There are around 180 hoodoo stones in different stages of erosion. The rock formation that gets the most attention is named the “Queen’s Head”. The 4,000-year-old rock got its name from its resemblance to the profile of England’s Queen Elizabeth. Just make sure that you’re looking at the rock at a certain angle to see the Queen-like figure.
The Queen’s Head’s beauty is undeniable, but due to the erosion caused by rain, wind, waves, sun, and by past visitors, the neck of the rock formation is only 138 cm in circumference at its narrowest point. The Queen’s Head, same with the other rock formations, is in a delicate state of transformation. It goes without saying that touching any of these rocks is strictly prohibited.
How did these rocks turn into what they are right now? These rocks go through three stages. At first, seawater goes into the rocks with cracks causing an erosion. The erosion later create rows of stone columns. On the second stage, erosion continues, but the tops of the stone columns made of calcium-rich sandstone resist the force. This results in the thinning of the softer rock below the column and leaving the top as is. The top is now left like a mushroom’s head and the reduced portion is its ‘neck’. Lastly, the crust continues to rise making the rock formations protrude above sea level with the usual external forces continuing its job to sculpt these rocks into weird – and weirder – shapes.
These mushroom rocks can be classified into three types depending on the shapes of their heads and necks. They can be high-relief “narrow-neck rocks”, intermediate “thick-neck rocks”, or low-relief “no-neck rocks”.
Besides the popular Queen’s Head, other formations have names that describe their shapes. Other formations found in Yehliu Geopark include the “Mushroom Rocks”, “Sea Candles”, “The Beehive”, and “Fairy Shoe”. It’s best to see these amazing formations as soon as possible before time and erosion have dramatically changed the rocks’ looks.
The total distance measured from the entrance of the Yehliu Geopark to the end of the cape is about 1.7 km; the widest area in between is shorter than 300 m. The distance measured from Yehliu Stop at Jijin Highway to the end of the cape is about 2.4km. The rock landscape of Yehliu Geopark is one of most famous wonders in the world. The costal line is stretching in a direction vertical to the layer and the structure line; besides, the influences caused by wave attack, rock weathering, earth movement and crustal movement all contribute to the formation of such a rare and stunning geological landscape.
The name “Yehliu” was derived from:1. A term translated from the Pinpu language; 2. An abbreviation of the Spanish words “Punto Diablos (which means “devil’s cape”); 3. In early days, local residents earned their living at sea and they relied on rice suppliers from inner land to offer rice to them. During transportation, some local people would use the sharp bamboo tube to stick the rick sack and leave a hole on it, so that the rice may slip out and could be picked up by them. As a result, rice traders often mentioned “the rice was stolen by the savages” (whereas “steal” and “savage” are pronounced similar to Yeh (savage) and liu (steal) in Taiwanese).
Yehliu Geopark can be divided into three areas. The first area contains mushroom rock and ginger rock. You may learn the development process of mushroom rock as well as witness the appearance of ginger rock, cleavage, pothole and melting erosion panel. On top of that, the famous candle shaped rock and the ice cream rock are presented in this area too.
The second area is similar to the first area, where the mushroom rock and the ginger rock are the main focuses, only they are fewer in numbers. You may see the Queen’s Head, Dragon’s Head Rock, and etc. Since the area is near the coast, rocks that develop into four different kinds of formations can be seen in this area: elephant rock, fairy’s shoe, earth rock and peanut rock. The aforementioned are parts of the layers featuring special shapes as a result of being corroded by sea water.
The third area is the wave-cut platform located on the other side of Yehliu. This area is much narrower than the second area; one side of the platform is closely adjacent to steep cliffs while down below the other side is a scene of torrent waves. Several rocks of grotesque shapes and sizes that are incarnated as a result of sea erosion can be seen in this area, including the 24-filial piety hill, pearl rock and Marine Bird Rock. The third area also includes the major ecology reserve of Yehliu Geopark in addition to the said rock landscapes.
Yehliu Geopark is famous for its sea-erosion landscape, while most of the spots are very close to the sea, tourists are advised to observe the tour guide regulations in case of the occurrence of possible danger or causing any damage to the natural resources.