Liji Badlands Introduction
Liji Badlands has a vast area that stretches approximately 100 kilometers from Taitung Bridge in the north to the eastern side of Beinan River. The area is named after Liji Village, where the terrain is most prominently exposed. Liji Badlands is the first locally designated geological park in Taitung County, holding the title of Taitung's geological national treasure. The East Coast National Scenic Area Administration has set up scenic pavilions and wooden plank walkways in this area to promote geological tourism, aimed at attracting more visitors to appreciate the geological beauty of Taiwan. Liji Badlands is located at the convergence zone of the Eurasian Plate and the Philippine Plate. During the collision of these plates, the original stratigraphy has been completely disrupted, resulting in very complex faulting and shearing phenomena, which are quite rare. This makes it an important site for studying plate tectonics. Once the strata are exposed, the mudstone tends to soften when encountering water, leading to erosion by rain and creating a rugged surface with numerous gullies, thus forming the characteristic "Bad Land" landscape.
