The collision of giant tectonics

The collision of giant tectonics

We were taking a train from Hualien to Taitung. Soon after we left the train station, we were flanked by two mountains. At the east side, it is the coastal mountain. At the west, it is the central mountain, the backbone of whole Taiwan. The train rides in the corridor between two mountains. The valley is about 180 kilometers long. But it is very narrow. Both sides are very close to us. It is like driving from Vancouver to Prince George, between the coastal mountain and Rocky Mountain, except this time, two mountains are so close. Hualien and Taitung, two main cities at the east coast, are formed at the two ends of the coastal mountain.

The central mountain is part of the Eurasian plate. The coastal mountain, on the other hand, is part of the Philippine Sea plate. Two giant plates collide to form two grand mountains. We are whizzing through the borderline of two giant tectonic plates, one of the most seismic active zones in the world. A giant earthquake occurred here just two years ago. At the same time, the valley is one of the most fertile lands in Taiwan, irrigated by the mineral rich water from the youthful mountains. 

It is amazing to visualize the collision of the two great tectonic plates so clearly. It is amazing to know these formations are very young. In many places, mountains rise from the ocean almost vertically.