Welcome to the Grand Canyon of Northern Taiwan!
In this Earth Cache, you will learn about two forces that shaped this unique area known as The Grand Canyon of Northern Taiwan. And these two forces are artificial forces and natural forces. By artificial forces I mean things that man created to alter the shape of this land, and by natural forces I mean things that Mother Nature were responsible for in shaping this land — namely coastal erosion and wind erosion. You see, this Grand Canyon is a geological wonder right next to the Pacific Ocean, which has been said to be the result of both artificial forces and natural forces. In this Earth Cache we are going to learn all there is to know about these two forces, and upon learning all there is to know, we will put on our Earth Science Thinking Caps and complete some on-site observations and tasks (which can be found at the bottom of this page) to find out for ourselves how geologically unique this area actually is and how exactly it formed. Was it because of artificial erosion? Or was it part of coastal and wind erosion? At the Posted Coordinates as well as the three waypoints, you will see for yourself that this unique landform was the result of a combination of all three forces — artificial, coastal erosion and wind erosion! So without further ado, let's get busy here and learn all there is to know about The Grand Canyon of Northern Taiwan!
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Brief History and Geological Uniqueness of Northern Taiwan's Grand Canyon
To understand the geological uniqueness about this "Grand Canyon of Taiwan", we must first look at it from a geological perspective and where this marvel of Mankind and/or Mother Nature is located — in the Linkou District of Northern Taiwan, which is just northwest of Taipei proper. Now Taipei, as many are aware, is a basin, which simply speaking, is a "low lying area" kind of like a big bowl, and Linkou is a plateau, which is a large area of raised land. However, the Taipei Basin and Linkou Plateau were not always what they are today — they were in fact just the opposite. Taipei was more of a higher elevated piece of land and Linkou was originally just a flat piece of land surrounded by mountains. However, because of orogeny or "mountain-building (caused a million yeas ago by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, slowly depositing and accumulating sedimentary rock all around the area including here at the Grand Canyon), Taipei "fell down" along the Shanjiao Fault and Linkou "raised up", thus creating the Taipei Basin and the Linkou Plateau as we know them today. Below is a chart outlining the history of the formation of the Taipei Basin and the Linkou Plateau from 1.6 million years ago to the present. You will be able to see the uniqueness of this Grand Canyon area here upon this diagram and how it came to be:
Now Linkou's geological makeup as a whole is unique in that its stratum or layer of rock is characterized by two distinct layers — in the east it is mainly composed of gravel, and is known as the Linkou Layer (林口層), whereas on the westside, where the Grand Canyon is located, it is mainly composed of a "different style" of rock — gravel sand/mud — and is known as the Dananwan Layer (大南灣層). Below is a chart outlining the different rocks that can be found around the Linkou Plateau (as well as neighboring Taipei). You will be able to see the uniqueness of the strata of the different areas around The Grand Canyon: as well as the strata of the Grand Canyon itself:
Therefore, The Grand Canyon of Northern Taiwan, being located in the west part of Linkou is mostly composed of the softer and smaller gravel sand/mud type rocks, which is a unique point in itself since the "real" Grand Canyon of the U.S. is made up of "harder" rock that does not weather or erode so "easily." However, here at the Grand Canyon one can see the effects of years and years of artificial erosion and natural erosion.
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Now that we have understood more about the lithology of study of the rocks of the Linkou Plateau in relation to The Grand Canyon of Northern Taiwan, it is now time to understand on a deeper level the geologically unique aspect of this area that you will view upon visiting — artificial forces vs. natural forces.
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Artificial Forces vs. Natural Forces Upon the Grand Canyon
Now the crux of the Earth Cache is here — understanding this geologically unique area and how exactly such a grand canyon was formed here in Northern Taiwan.
First, according to some reports of unknown origin back in the late '90s, this area was home to gravel, which is "famous" for being used to make concrete as well as other things. Word spread of this area's richness in gravel deposits and construction companies engaged in the illegal excavation of such deposits. Once being "nothing but a small hill" here near the coast of northwestern Taiwan, it was robbed of over half of its gravel deposits, thus forming what has become known as The Grand Canyon of Northern Taiwan. However, one must ask themselves — How could an area that was "just a small hill" be dug out so "perfectly" to form an area that bears a striking resemblance to the world-famous Grand Canyon of America?
To debunk as well as put our Earth Science twist on this idea that The Grand Canyon of Northern Taiwan could have only been formed by human activity, let us look at a more likely cause for forming this one-of-a-kind marvel in Taiwan — Mother Nature.
Being near the coast, The Grand Canyon of Northern Taiwan has been subject to erosion, more specifically, both coastal erosion and wind erosion. To better understand these two kinds of forces of Mother Nature, let us look at the diagram below:
In costal erosion, land is either displaced or "loss" because of waves constantly beating against the rocks and/or sand. Cliffs are "shortened" because the waves break away their sediments and carry them to other places. You will be able to view coastal erosion right here at the Grand Canyon!
In wind erosion there is something known as saltation, which is when sand and other rocks bounce and move around because of the wind. Because of the wind constantly beating and blowing "debris" against the rocks, "new" hills of sand are formed as well as existing rock formation are slowly "chiseled away." Here at the Grand Canyon is an abundant amount of wind erosion that appears to be the real main cause of what really formed this unique landform upon the coast
So how to identify artificial forces vs natural forces as being the "leading cause" to forming The Grand Canyon of Northern Taiwan?
Let's go to this unique place and find out for ourselves!
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Logging Requirements:
The Grand Canyon of Northern Taiwan may have become "famous" for controversial reasons back in the late '90s but there is more to this geological wonder than what meets the eyes. I mean, on the surface it appears that this "canyon" is the result of just artificial forces as was once stated in a report many, many years ago. However, this canyon is more than some "random" landform created recently. Its formation goes back a million years ago when the Linkou Plateau came to be and through orogeny and then later through erosion. You will be brought to a unique sight that has more than just those artificial forces to see. You will be able to witness how those natural forces of coastal erosion and wind erosionplayed a more crucial role in shaping this marvel of Mother Nature. So, come and see not just artificial erosion here but also costal erosion and wind erosion are waiting for you to observe here at The Grand Canyon of Northern Taiwan!
In order to log a Found It! for this Earth Cache, please go to the Posted Coordinates as well as the three additional Waypoints ( to complete the following tasks:
1. Based on what you have learned about the geological makeup of the Linkou Plateau, and based on your observations here at the Grand Canyon, would you say that the lithology here at the Grand Canyon is in fact all gravel sand/mud? Or is it a mixture of other rocks? How were you able to come to your conclusions? If there are different rocks present what could be a reason for this?
2. To help "solidify" your answer(s) to Task 1., there at the Posted Coordinates you will be near one "wall" of the canyon (as well as many other walls to your left and right.) Feel the area that you are standing on right now and then feel that "wall" directly in front of you. Describe the appearance and feel of the ground versus the appearance and feel of the wall. Were they the same or different? What does this tell you about the geological makeup of this area?
3. Now turn and face the coast. Using your compass, note the direction and strength of the waves, and also make note of the wind speed/strength. Based on what you have learned about coastal erosion and wind erosion, do you feel that the waves and winds are in fact the real main cause of forming the Grand Canyon? How did you come to your conclusion?
4. Now take the small trail up to Waypoint 01. What do you notice about the angle of the side of the canyon that faces the ocean compared to the angle of the side that faces away from the ocean? Which one has a sharper angle? What do these angles tell you about the forces that acted upon this area to form it? How did you come to your conclusions?
5. Now walk back down from Waypoint 01 to the Posted Coordinates and loop around to your right to the road that is behind the Grand Canyon to Waypoint 02. Based on what you have learned about the different kinds of erosion presented in this Earth Cache, what do you notice about the overall shape of the back of the canyon compared to what you observed when you were in front of it? Do you feel that the front area and back area were in fact formed in the same way? How did you come to your conclusion(s)?
6. Now take the trail near Waypoint 02 down to Waypoint 03. Feel the ground as well as that wall in front of you. Describe its appearance and feel. Based on what you have learned and your observations, do you feel that this area's geological makeup is consistent with what is true about the Linkou Plateau as well as your findings during Task 1 and Task 2? Also, what type of erosion would you say is the main cause for shaping the backside of the canyon? Or is there any presence of other "outside" forces that helped shape this area? How did you come to your conclusion(s)?
7. Based on what you have learned regarding the claim that this area was formed because of artificial forces, would you say that all your observations and on-site tasks prove or disprove this claim? In other words, how much of the area (percentage-wise) appeared to be formed because of the artificial forces vs. the natural force? How did you come to your conclusion(s)?
8. Based on all your observations and on site tasks, as well as what you have learned about all three erosions — artificial erosion, coastal erosion, and wind erosion — how do you think this area will change geologically in the future? How did you come to your conclusion(s)?
9. Optional — Post a photo of yourself or a "Geocaching" item identifying yourself here at the Grand Canyon!
You may log a Found It! on this cache after you have completed the tasks and emailed me the answers. If there are any issues with your answers, I will contact you. And as a friendly reminder, please do not post any of the answers in your logs. Thank you for visiting this Earth Cache. I hope you enjoy your time here at the Grand Canyon of Northern Taiwan!