Tianliao Moon World Introduction
Tianliao's "Moon World" special landscape is referred to as "badland" in geography. It is formed by the "regenerative action" of the earth's crust, where years of intense erosion by rainwater and river water have accumulated silt on mudstone. After geological changes, the silt mixes with the mudstone and, through weathering and sedimentation processes, creates today's terrain, which is only suitable for drought-resistant and salt-tolerant shallow-rooted plants (such as bamboo) and coastal plants. Along the route from Tianliao to Qishan on County Road 28, besides the Moon World landscape, there are more than twenty mud volcanoes of various sizes, often exhibiting intermittent eruptions, the scale of which depends on the accumulation pressure of natural gas and mud underground. The areas where mud flows accumulate, when eroded by rain, produce some unique small landforms, among which Daguanshui and Xiaoguanshui are the most convenient observation points for mud volcanoes. Mud volcanoes are "pseudo volcanoes" where natural gas and mud from underground are expelled to the surface under high pressure along shallow rock fissures; they are also a type of badland topography. Tianliao is the region in Taiwan with the most developed badlands and mud volcanoes, where the mudstone of the Gutingkeng formation creates a badland landscape filled with desolate desert beauty, resembling a geologic ecological classroom untouched by human tools, and it has also developed unique local products and cuisine. In October 2021, the Kaohsiung City Tourism Bureau organized a hot air balloon event at the Love River and Tianliao Moon World, receiving enthusiastic responses from various sectors, attracting numerous tourists from different places, allowing people to satisfy their desire for a brief escape and enjoy the beauty of Kaohsiung. The unique mudstone topography of Moon World is comparable to that of Cappadocia in Turkey, and the area's first hot air balloon tethering experience took place, with breathtaking photos igniting high interest online.
