The iconic Queen’s Head rock (女王頭) at Yehliu Geopark (野柳公園) in New Taipei City is under spotlight after part of the Shenao Elephant Trunk Rock (深澳象鼻岩), another famous rock formation on the nation’s northeast coast, collapsed into the sea on Saturday, due to strong waves and winds.
Rueifang District Warden Yang Sheng-min (楊勝閔) said he received a report that part of the rock formation had fallen into the sea at 1:55pm on Saturday.
As the winds and waves were really strong in the afternoon, the partial collapse was likely caused by the weather conditions, as well as long-term seawater erosion, he said.
Photo: Ting Yi, Taipei Times
The district office had set up a warning line around the area in 2020 to protect the special geographic landscape by preventing visitors from climbing onto the rock formation.
In the wake of the news on Saturday, many have expressed concern over the fate of the Queen’s Head as the circumference of the rock’s “neck” has also been diminished due to erosion and human-inflicted damage.
The pace at which the circumference of the rock’s neck is decreasing has slowed since the agency in 2012 barred tourists from touching the rock formation, the North Coast and Guanyinshan National Scenic Area Administration said yesterday.
However, there is a constant concern regarding when the neck could break due to natural erosion, it added.
North Coast and Guanyinshan National Scenic Area Administration head Chen Yu-chuan (陳煜川) said his agency has been working with a professional team researching ways to reduce the effect of erosion on the rock formation, and they are exploring high-tech approaches to preserve it.
The circumference of the rock’s neck is decreasing by 1cm to 2cm every year, the Yehliu Geopark said.
Past 3D scanning measured the circumference of the “neck” at 138.27cm in 2005, 127.88cm in 2015 and 125.01cm in 2017, it said.
The latest measurement conducted in September showed a circumference of 118.3cm, it said.
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