Create China's treasure island with the roar of mountains and seas!

Taiwan

A land that touches the emotions of all Chinese people

Its return is always the focus of everyone's attention

But few people ask

Taiwan Island, where does it come from?

Today, we will leave the crowd behind

From a geographical perspective

From the tsunamis

Finding answers to your questions

(Please watch in horizontal mode, a night with lightning and thunder in Taiwan, photographer @冯业辉)

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01

The island of wilderness

If you fully understand Taiwan

You will find its topographical features

Extremely simple

Two sentences can sum up 80%

The eastern part of the island is full of mountains.

(The sunset dyed the snow-capped mountains orange, picture source: @Visual China)

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The western part of the island is flat

(Western Taiwan, Jingzijiao Salt Field, Photographer @吴贤宾)

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The remaining 20% ​​that cannot be summarized

This is the key to solving the puzzle.

This special area

Close to the eastern edge of Taiwan Island

It is a road between high mountains.

A narrow valley running from north to south

It is about 180 kilometers long.

From Hualien in the north to Taitung in the south

Hence the name Huadong Valley

(Taiwan's location and topography, map by Chen Zhihao/Planetary Research Institute)

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The valley is full of fertile fields

Houses and roads are arranged in an orderly manner

In addition, the air is fresh and the scenery is beautiful

Like a paradise away from the hustle and bustle

However, this tranquility is only an appearance.

(Please watch in horizontal mode, the Hualien-Taitung Valley at the foot of the mountains, the sun shines through the clouds onto the fields and houses, photographer @看看风景光)

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Frequent earthquakes in the valley

Surrounding coast and mountains

It is also often hit by tsunamis, landslides, etc.

Many disasters strike

The root of it all

Need to trace back to a depth of 10,000 meters underground

There

The two major sectors are competing fiercely

Philippine Sea Plate

Lurking underwater and advancing westward

The South China Sea shell on the other side

As the representative of the Eurasian Plate , it faces the challenge head-on

(The interlaced pattern of plates around Taiwan, map by @Chen Zhihao/Planetary Research Institute)

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South China Sea crust sinks and bends

Subduction beneath the Philippine Sea Plate

The Philippine Sea Plate is like a tough steel knife.

Scrape off some of the rocks on the Eurasian Plate

and accumulate at the boundaries of plates

Triangular wedge

We call this the accretionary wedge

The Main Body of Taiwan Today

The accretionary wedge

(Schematic diagram of the formation principle of the accretion wedge, drawn by Liu Zhipeng/Planetary Research Institute)

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But some of the other parts that are not part of the accretionary wedge

Also on the road to the birth of Taiwan Island

Plays a vital role

Now outside Taiwan

There are also many smaller islands scattered around.

Among them, Green Island is famous for its exquisite island scenery.

Attracting many tourists

But it is not the product of the accretionary wedge

It's a volcano on the sea.

And volcanoes like this

More than one

It is the existence of these volcanoes

This is what made Taiwan what it is today.

(Overhead view of Green Island, image source: @Visual China)

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As the accretionary wedge forms

The Eurasian Plate is constantly subducting underground

Heat melts into magma

And stretching the Philippine Sea Plate above

Make it a weak spot

Then the underground magma erupted

The Luzon volcanic island arc was born

(Sketch of the origin of volcanic island arcs, drawn by @刘志鹏&谢桐凯&陈志浩/Planetary Research Institute)

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then

This volcanic island arc

It drifts westward with the Philippine Sea Plate.

Finally, 6.5 million years ago

Colliding with the accretionary wedge at an oblique angle

The accretionary wedge on the seafloor is severely compressed

Accelerating uplift and emerging from the sea

The first island of Taiwan was born

(The Central Mountain Range under the starry sky, billions of stars have witnessed every step of Taiwan's growth over a long period of time, photographer @冯业辉)

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The northern part of the Luzon volcanic arc

Yuemei, Chimei, Chengguangao, Dulanshan

Four ancient volcanoes are also spliced ​​together with the accretionary wedge

It is the easternmost coastal mountain range of Taiwan Island.

(A corner of the Coastal Mountains, photographer @胡添龙)

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But here

The Birth of Taiwan Island

Just rolled out

It will continue in this hardcore collision

From a small island to a real treasure island

02

Mountain Island

Under the tremendous pressure of the plate advance

Accretionary wedges rise to become mountains

At the same time, a series of faults were generated inside

These broken mountains

The speed and degree of rise are no longer uniform

So gradually formed four columns

Almost parallel north-south mountain ranges

They, along with the Coast Mountains, were once volcanic

It occupies nearly 2/3 of Taiwan’s area.

(Distribution of the five major mountain ranges on Taiwan Island, map by @Chen Zhihao/Planetary Research Institute)

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The easternmost

The majestic and broad Central Mountain Range runs across the island

Ranked first among the five major mountain ranges in Taiwan

(At sunrise, Hehuan Mountain is shrouded in clouds and mist. Image source: Visual China)

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The Yushan Mountains are closely connected to the southern section of the Central Mountain Range.

Although it is the shortest mountain range in Taiwan

But its main peak is 3952 meters high

Becoming Taiwan's commanding heights

Therefore, although Taiwan is located near the warm Tropic of Cancer

But because the mountain is high enough

And let the lyrics describe

"Yushan, snow falling"

Shining into reality

(The main peak of Yushan covered with snow, image source: Visual China)

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also

And the northernmost snow mountain range

(View of the Snow Mountain Range from Wuling Farm, image source @Wikimedia Commons)

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Alishan Mountain Range, the westernmost

(People working in Alishan, photographer @陈碧信)

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One mountain higher than another

It has also repeatedly broken the record for the highest peak in East China.

On the mainland side

Huanggang Mountain, with an altitude of 2,160 meters, stands tall above the other peaks.

But on the Taiwan side

More than 200 3,000-meter peaks

More than 50 peaks over 3,500 meters

Not only did it break the rare situation in the high mountains of eastern China

It also made Taiwan the world's

One of the most mountainous islands

(Mountains rise up behind the high-rise buildings of Taipei City, image source: Visual China)

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The growth of mountains

Let Taiwan no longer have to fear

The rising and falling tides will drown it

Around the island

How calm the water is

But even the biggest waves

For Taiwan, a country with many mountains and islands,

Just like a little wave

(Waves on the coast of New Taipei City, photographer @老J)

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The mountains bring Taiwan

It's not just the confidence of being alone on the sea

If we regard Taiwan as a plane

Its maximum north-south span is about 400 kilometers.

It is only equivalent to the straight-line distance from Hainan to Macau.

The monotonous subtropical climate covers the entire island.

But the vertical space pulled up by the mountains

Taiwan has three climates: hot, warm, and cold.

Embrace them together

This is equivalent to connecting Hainan to Heilongjiang

Changes over nearly 5,000 kilometers

After being concentrated 10 times, it was stuffed into Taiwan

So more diverse life

There will be more opportunities

Find the most appropriate inclusion here

(Colorful creatures of Taiwan, photographer & photo source @张程皓 & 郑声 & 吕子昊 & Visual China)

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On the lowest coast

Poor soil

The raging sea breeze continues all year round

However, species such as Taiwania serrata and Hibiscus tiliaceus

With strong salt and alkali resistance and wind resistance

The coast is covered with green

Forming a unique coastal forest

(Coastal forest growing on reefs, photographer @蔡弘浩)

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Below 200 meters above sea level

The average annual temperature can be maintained above 25℃

The vitality of life in a warm environment

Extremely stimulated

The broad-leaved vegetation such as white banyan, mulberry and tamanu are shading the sky.

It's dark and gloomy under the big tree

Some shade-tolerant herbs and shrubs

Together we build a lush tropical monsoon forest

(The vegetation at low altitudes is very tropical, photographer @邵一展)

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Continue to rise in altitude

In different climates

Broad-leaved forest, mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forest

Coniferous forests and alpine tundra appear in sequence

The "mountain climbing relay" was completed in a very orderly manner.

(Distribution diagram of Taiwan's vegetation zones, drawn by @张琪/Planetary Research Institute)

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Among them, in the alpine tundra zone above 3,500 meters above sea level

The average annual temperature is below 8°C.

Strong winds and strong sunlight make the environment even worse.

Therefore, vegetation is the most resilient

Low shrubs such as Yushan azalea have difficulty taking root

Waiting for the flowering season to arrive

Try your best to bloom above the clouds

(The Yushan azalea blooming on the top of the mountain, the flowers and the rugged peaks combine to create a beauty of both strength and softness, picture source @Visual China)

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at the same time

Under the Mountain

Everything is flourishing

03

Fireworks Field

In fact

Taiwan Island, a place between mountains and sea

It is unfamiliar to most people.

On the contrary

Taipei, the administrative center, is changing with each passing day

(Taipei's high-rise buildings, the endless flow of vehicles, and the non-stop flights, photographer @王健宇)

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Port City Kaohsiung

(On the sea outside the city, several cargo ships are waiting to enter the port, photographer @陈碧信)

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Taiwan's first city

Tainan has a profound heritage

(Fireworks blooming over the Luermen Notre Dame Temple, photographer @冯业辉)

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Relaxing and romantic Kenting

These Taiwans full of fireworks

This is the Taiwan we are most familiar with.

(The colorful houses on the coast of Kenting look even more brilliant in sunny weather, photographer @吴贤宾)

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Although they are mostly distributed in low and open areas

But still can't escape the blessing of the mountains

Taiwan is surrounded by the sea

Southwest monsoon in summer

Northeast monsoon in winter

and frequent typhoons

It supplies it with an endless supply of water vapor

(Continuous rain and passers-by holding umbrellas in the rain, picture source: Visual China)

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Several mountains like barriers

Not only can it reduce some of the power of the typhoon

It also intercepts a lot of water vapor passing by with the wind.

Transformed into an average annual rainfall of more than 2500mm

In some areas

Annual precipitation even exceeds 4000mm

Approximately twice the average annual precipitation in Fujian

(Kenting Maotoubi Typhoon, dense raindrops, rough sea waves, photographer @胡添龙)

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Intensive precipitation

They all gathered in low-lying areas

More than 150 species of different sizes have been developed

The total length of the water system is up to 4,200 kilometers

Although most of them are named after streams

But it is a genuine river

(River flowing in the mountains, picture source: Visual China)

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Most of these rivers have the Central Mountain Range as their watershed.

Flowing from the top of the mountain to the east and west

The rivers in the west are generally longer.

The basin is also wider

Dense river network

Like blood vessels throughout Taiwan

While nourishing the lives along the way

On the one hand, it is the continuation of life

Opening up new territories

(Sketch of the water system of Taiwan Island, map by @Chen Zhihao/Planet Research Institute)

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When rivers flow into the sea

It contains a lot of nutrients

Like a supply tank for marine life

Nourishing another vibrant underwater world

(The weather is fine, dolphins jump out of the water near Hualien, photographer @老J)

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Zhuoshui River originates from the Central Mountain Range

It continues to grow and become the longest river in Taiwan

It connects many rivers such as Dadu Creek and Beigang Creek.

Rushing to the West

(The Zhuoshui River and the large amount of silt deposited on its banks, photographer @余爱珠)

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And use gravel, sand and other materials brought along the way

Alluvial deposits created the largest plain in Taiwan

Jianan Plain

So that the plain can not only be built

Tainan, Kaohsiung and many other cities

And it also owns 35% of Taiwan’s arable land .

When the perfect geographical conditions

When you meet the hardworking Taiwanese

The Jianan Plain can be transformed into the " Taiwan granary " filled with the fragrance of rice

It can also be transformed into an " Oriental Sugar Storehouse " that makes sweetness

(A bumper harvest of pineapples, photographer @柯羿丞)

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at the same time

The river does not stop at the plains.

They rush into the sea unstoppably

Alluvial action causes the tidal flats to rise continuously

Therefore, the area of ​​Jianan Plain is

It is also continuing to expand westward

(From the plane, we can clearly see that the river carries a lot of silt into the ocean. Image source: Visual China)

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The geographical advantage of the port is its vastness and deep waters.

In addition to the unique location advantage

This also makes it a good location for building a port.

Countless ships set sail here

Accessible

(A ship sailing out of the port at night encounters a fireball on the sea, photographer @邵树光)

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South of the Jianan Plain

Rivers such as Gaoping River, Laonong River and Donggang River

It also formed Taiwan's second largest plain.

Pingtung Plain

It crosses the Tropic of Cancer to the south

It receives the longest sunshine time on Taiwan Island.

There are many plants planted in the plains

Crops such as coconut, wax apple, pineapple, guava, etc.

A paradise for tropical fruit and vegetable lovers

(The lush and fertile Pingtung Plain, image source: @Visual China)

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In the central and northern

Taichung, Taipei and other basins

Also receiving the river's alluvial deposits

These areas are not nearly as vast as the southern plains.

But it's more than enough to build a city

Taipei, New Taipei, Taichung, Taoyuan

Important counties and cities are located here

(Please watch in horizontal mode, panoramic view of Taipei, photographer @王健宇)

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Crowds of people in the city

Walking through the colorful neon lights

Chatting about the hottest online topics

Lingering in the gimmicks and temptations created by merchants

Creating a diverse and trendy Taiwan

(New Year, the night market is bustling with lights and decorations, photographer @严宇腾)

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Western Taiwan

With limited land

Accommodating infinite human fireworks

Compared with this

The Yilan Plain curled up in the northeast corner

A little lonely

It has no large tracts of arable land.

There is no potential to build a prosperous city.

However

It has the ability

Predicting Taiwan’s future

(Fields and farmhouses interweave on the flat and open Yilan Plain, image source: Visual China)

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04

Ever New Island

In the north of Taiwan Island

The Philippine Sea Plate reverses and dives beneath the Eurasian Plate

The part that was dragged deep into the earth

After melting into magma, it rises and erupts

Formation of the Ryukyu volcanic island arc

(Please watch in horizontal mode, overall plate contact relationship, map by @刘志鹏&李江飞/Planetary Research Institute)

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The volcanic activity has been extending westward.

Direct access to the northeast of Taiwan Island

Eruption

Including Datun Volcano and Keelung Volcano

More than 20 volcanoes

Tightly packed into a space of about 20 kilometers squared

(The gas that continues to emerge from the small oil pit suggests that volcanic activity has not stopped. Image source: @Visual China)

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Outside the island

Pengjia Islet, Mianhua Islet, Huaping Islet

Keelung Island, Guishan Island and many other islands

They were also born in volcanic eruptions.

(Keelung Island, picture source: Visual China)

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Advances in plate movement

Not only does it make volcanic activity more frequent

It also caused some mountain collapses.

Philippine Sea Plate

At a rate of about ten millimeters per year

Advancing towards the Eurasian Plate

The collision point of the two plates

Migrating towards the southwest

Collision between plates

Stretch the local area

Losing support

And began to collapse

Leaving behind the plains after the mountains have sunk

(The rice in Yilan Plain turns golden yellow in autumn, image source: @Visual China)

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Until today

Subsidence in northern Taiwan

Still not stopping

And it continues to expand southward

But Taiwan Island will not disappear because of this.

Luzon volcanic island arc

Keep leaning towards Taiwan

Pushing the accretion wedge of the seafloor out to the surface

Becoming a brand new part of Taiwan Island

Hengchun Peninsula is Taiwan’s newest landmass

(Kenting Coast, photographer @吴贤宾)

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In the future

Green Island and Orchid Island floating around the main island

It will eventually be under the movement of plates

Merge with Taiwan Island

Becoming the new body of Taiwan Island

(The floating Green Island is approaching the main island of Taiwan. Photographer: @阿怪Zax)

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This is how Taiwan was born

While waving goodbye to the old mountains and rivers

While welcoming the new land rising from the sea

It has therefore become a

An island with diverse and beautiful scenery

As we circled its 1,200-kilometer coastline

You will see

The northern coast is under the impact of volcanoes and sea water

It has become a winding cape coast

(Capes and bays appear alternately on the Cape Bay Coast. The picture shows the Yehliu Cape, which has a special shape due to long-term erosion of rocks by different forces. Photographer: Sun Zhijun)

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Western rivers flow into the sea

Alluvial deposits create a soft and gentle sandy coast

(Gaomei Wetland at dusk, image source: Visual China)

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Warm South

Coral growth

It forms a unique coral reef coast

(Hengchun Peninsula, green coastal forests, gray-yellow coral reef coasts and azure blue waters blend into one picture, photographer @焦潇翔)

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To the East

Huge fault coast

Facing the abyss of the Western Pacific

You can feel the irreversibility of the planet's power.

(Qingshui Cliff meets the Pacific Ocean, photographer @小虎牙(赵奕))

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In the roar of the tsunami

Treasure Island is hard-won

Under the Taiwan Strait

Its path will become clearer.

The continental shelf in the strait spans 150 kilometers

Like a tough umbilical cord

Closely connect Taiwan, China and mainland China

Let the tide surge

The blood-connected mountains and rivers of China will embrace each other forever

(Looking at Taiwan from Fujian, photographer @籽哥)

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This article was created by

Written by : Xiao Jindou

Design : Liu Zhipeng, Zhang Qi, Xie Tongkai, Li Jiangfei

Image : Enthusiastic citizen Xiaojie

Map : Chen Zhihao

Proofreading : Li Chuyang, Luan Xiaoyun, Yunwukongcheng, Tang Wenjun

【References】

[1] Huang Qiyu. Age of Taiwan Island[J]. Science China: Earth Sciences, 2017, 47(4): 394-405.

[2] Geng Wei, Zhang Xunhua, Huang Long, et al. Regional geological characteristics and neotectonic movement in Taiwan and its adjacent waters[J]. Marine Geology and Quaternary Geology, 2014, 34(6): 74-82.

[3] Wang Jingai et al. Geography of Taiwan[M]. Beijing Normal University Press, 2018.

[4] Yu Ge, Liu Pingmei, Xue Bin, et al. Surface pollen and vegetation reconstruction of vertical vegetation zones in the central and northern mountains of Taiwan [J]. Chinese Science Bulletin, 2002, 47(21): 1663-1666.

[5] Wang Hongli, Zhao Qiang, Huang Jinlian, et al. Morphological structure and evolution of the accretionary wedge in the northern segment of the Manila subduction zone[J]. Research Papers, 2019, 43(8): 1- 16.

[6] Huang Bohong, Wei Chunjing, Ji Jianqing. Rediscussion on the tectonic framework and evolution process of the Taiwan orogenic belt[J]. 2022, 038(04): 0963-0979.