Tatun Volcanoes (), a
group
A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together.
Groups of people
* Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity
* Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic ide ...
of
volcano
A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.
On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates ...
es located in northern
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northe ...
, is located 15 km north of
Taipei
Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...
, and lies to the west of
Keelung
Keelung () or Jilong () (; Hokkien POJ: '), officially known as Keelung City, is a major port city situated in the northeastern part of Taiwan. The city is a part of the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area, along with its neighbors, New T ...
. It just adjoins the northern coast of the Taiwan island. The volcano group was a result of episodic
volcanism
Volcanism, vulcanism or volcanicity is the phenomenon of eruption of molten rock (magma) onto the Earth#Surface, surface of the Earth or a solid-surface planet or moon, where lava, pyroclastics, and volcanic gases erupt through a break in the su ...
between 2.8 and 0.2
Ma.
As of 2005, some geothermal activity was occurring and gas
fumarole
A fumarole (or fumerole) is a vent in the surface of the Earth or other rocky planet from which hot volcanic gases and vapors are emitted, without any accompanying liquids or solids. Fumaroles are characteristic of the late stages of volcan ...
s were active among these volcanoes.
Observations on Tatun Volcano Group suggest that
magma chamber
A magma chamber is a large pool of liquid rock beneath the surface of the Earth. The molten rock, or magma, in such a chamber is less dense than the surrounding country rock, which produces buoyant forces on the magma that tend to drive it up ...
s probably still exist under the land surface of northern Taiwan.
History
The north of the island is where evidence of volcanic activity is most obvious. In the early 20th century, the North Range of hills, also called ''Daitonzan'' from Japanese or ''Twa-tun'' from Hokkien, was recognized as having an abundance of sulfur deposits.
There were three craters in the North Range between
Tamsui
Tamsui District (Hokkien POJ: ''Tām-chúi''; Hokkien Tâi-lô: ''Tām-tsuí''; Mandarin Pinyin: ''Dànshuǐ'') is a seaside district in New Taipei, Taiwan. It is named after the Tamsui River; the name means "fresh water". The town is popula ...
and Kimpauli (approx. modern-day
Jinshan). The North hill crater, over in diameter and about deep, was the most extensive and was sometimes filled with water.
See also
*
Qixing Mountain (Taipei)
Qixing Mountain, also spelled Cising Mountain or Chihsing Mountain, () is a mountain in Beitou District, Taipei, Taiwan. It is located on the Datun Volcano Group and is the highest mountain in the city, at the rim of Taipei Basin. It is also the ...
*
Yangmingshan National Park
Yangmingshan National Park is one of the nine national parks in Taiwan, located in both Taipei and New Taipei City. The districts that are partially in the park include Taipei's Beitou and Shilin Districts; and New Taipei's Wanli, Jinshan ...
References
Volcanoes of Taiwan
Volcanic groups
Landforms of Taipei
{{Taiwan-geo-stub