Jinguashi Geopark (Benshan Mine) Introduction
Benshan Mine is an important gold mining area in Jinguashi. In the 19th year of the Guangxu era (1893), gold prospectors from Keelung discovered a small gold outcrop in Jiufen while panning along the river from Hou Dong. The following May, a gold vein was found at the larger outcrop. The exposed rock that resembled a golden melon was thus named "Jinguashi." The Benshan vein extends vertically from the summit of the Large Golden Melon at an altitude of 600 meters down to 130 meters below sea level. The gold content is uniform throughout the ore body, which can reach widths of over a hundred meters, with the longest vein extending over 2 kilometers and shorter ones often measuring several hundred meters. This area is home to a significant gold deposit. In addition to abundant gold, a sulfide arsenic copper mine was discovered in the Benshan No. 3 Pit in April 1904. Originally, the summit of Jinguashi was 660 meters high, but after a century of mining, it has lowered by 106 meters to about 500 meters, roughly the same level as the No. 3 Pit. Due to open-pit mining, the geological features are now very clear, making it a ready-made outdoor geological classroom.
