Jinguashi Geopark (Benshan Mine) Introduction
Benshan Mine is an important gold mining area in Jinguashi. In 1893, gold panners from Keelung discovered a small gold outcrop in Jiufen while they were going upstream from Houtong. The following May, they found the gold vein outcrop of the larger Jinguashi. The exposed rock, resembling a golden melon, was hence named "Jinguashi." The vertical distribution of the Benshan vein extends from the top of the large Jinguashi at an elevation of 600 meters down to 130 meters below sea level and remains unexhausted. The gold content is uniform throughout the vein, which reaches widths of over a hundred meters in places, with lengths extending over 2 kilometers in some instances, while shorter sections are often a few hundred meters long. This constitutes an important gold deposit in Jinguashi. In addition to abundant gold, a copper arsenic mine was discovered in Benshan's San Keng area in April 1904. Originally, the peak of Jinguashi was at an elevation of 660 meters. Due to a century of mining, the peak has been reduced by 106 meters, now leveling with San Keng (approximately 500 meters above sea level). As a result of surface mining, the geology is now prominently exposed, turning it into a natural outdoor geological classroom.
