Tianliao Moon World Introduction
Tianliao's "Moon World" features unique landscapes known in geography as "badlands." These formations are the result of the "renewal action" of the Earth's crust; over time, strong erosion from rainwater and river water has deposited sediments on the mudstone. After geological changes, the sediments mixed with the mudstone and underwent weathering and sedimentation, resulting in the current topography, which is only suitable for drought-resistant and salt-tolerant shallow-rooted plants (such as arrow bamboo) and coastal plants. Along the route from Tianliao to Qishan on Taiwan's Provincial Highway 28, besides the Moon World landscape, there are more than twenty mud volcanoes of varying sizes that often exhibit intermittent eruptions. The scale of the eruptions depends on the accumulated pressure of natural gas and mud beneath the surface. The areas where mud flows accumulate, after being eroded by rainfall, develop unique small landforms, with Dagun Water and Xiaogun Water being the most convenient spots to observe the mud volcanoes. Mud volcanoes are essentially "pseudo-volcanoes" where natural gas and mud are expelled to the surface through cracks in shallow rock formations due to high pressure, and they are also a type of badland terrain. Tianliao is the most well-developed region for badland and mud volcanoes in Taiwan, characterized by a desolate beauty formed by the mudstones of the Guoting Formation, resembling a geological ecological classroom untouched by human intervention, and it has also cultivated unique local products and cuisine. In October 2021, the Kaohsiung City Tourism Bureau held a hot air balloon event at the Love River and Tianliao Moon World, which received enthusiastic responses from all sectors and attracted many tourists from various regions, allowing the public to satisfy their longings for a simulated overseas experience and enjoy the beauty of Kaohsiung. The unique mudstone topography of Moon World rivals that of Cappadocia in Turkey, and the local area hosted its first hot air balloon tethered experience, creating breathtaking photos that sparked significant online inquiries.
