Huoyan Mountain ( zh, t=火炎山, p=Huǒyánshān, l="fire mountain") is a

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually highe ...

located at the border of

Sanyi Sanyi () or Nanpanshun (), also known by Cantonese romanizations such as Sam Yup and Nam Pun Shun, refers to the three districts (former counties) of Nanhai, Panyu and Shunde surrounding Guangzhou and Foshan in Guangdong, China. Geography The ...

and Yuanli Townships in Miaoli County,

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 nort ...

. The mountain is known for its jagged exposed laterite surfaces that look like fire.

Description

Huoyan Mountain is located on the north bank of Da'an River. Geologically, it is part of the Toukeshan Formation (頭嵙山層), a

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was finally confirmed in ...

-era

formation Formation may refer to: Linguistics * Back-formation, the process of creating a new lexeme by removing or affixes * Word formation, the creation of a new word by adding affixes Mathematics and science * Cave formation or speleothem, a secondar ...

. The prominent red cliffs on the mountain are due to the

tectonic uplift Tectonic uplift is the geologic uplift of Earth's surface that is attributed to plate tectonics. While isostatic response is important, an increase in the mean elevation of a region can only occur in response to tectonic processes of crustal th ...

, weak

shear strength In engineering, shear strength is the strength of a material or component against the type of yield or structural failure when the material or component fails in shear. A shear load is a force that tends to produce a sliding failure on a materi ...

of the underlying soil, and heavy rainfall. The mountain is protected by the

Forestry Bureau The Forestry Bureau () is an agency of the Council of Agriculture of Taiwan (ROC). History The Forestry Bureau was originally established in 1945 as the Office of Forestry Administration. In June 1947, the office was disbanded and the Forestry ...

to preserve the unique landscape and ecology. County Highway 140, a major road connecting the coastal regions with the mountainous interior in Miaoli County, passes on the south side of the mountain. In the past, the highway would often be blocked by

landslides Landslides, also known as landslips, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, deep-seated slope failures, mudflows, and debris flows. Landslides occur in a variety of environments, ...

triggered by heavy rainfall. Therefore, in 2006, a tunnel was built to protect the road from blockages.

Hiking

There are a couple of

hiking trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. The ...

s that reach the

triangulation point A triangulation station, also known as a trigonometrical point, and sometimes informally as a trig, is a fixed surveying station, used in geodetic surveying and other surveying projects in its vicinity. The nomenclature varies regionally: they a ...

at the summit of Huoyan Mountain. The north peak, slightly higher in elevation, is not reachable by the trails. The mountain is one of the "hundred little mountains" (臺灣小百岳), a list of shorter and accessible mountains promoted by the

Sports Administration The Sports Administration (SA; ) is a branch of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of China (Taiwan). History The Sport Administration was initially established in 1932 as the Sports Council (體育委員會). On 12 January 1998, the Sp ...

for recreation.

Gallery

References

{{reflist Mountains of Taiwan Landforms of Miaoli County Mountaineering in Taiwan

Description

Hiking

Gallery

See also

References