Tianliao Moon World Introduction
Tianliao's "Moon World" unique landscape is referred to as "badlands" in geography. It is formed by the "rejuvenation effect" of the Earth's crust, where rainwater and river water have intensely eroded the terrain over the years, depositing sediment on mudrock. After geological changes, the sediment mixes with the mudrock and, through weathering and sedimentation, creates the current landform, which is only suitable for drought-resistant and salt-resistant shallow-rooted plants (such as arrow bamboo) and coastal vegetation. Along the Route 28 from Tianliao to Cijin, besides the Moon World scenery, there are over twenty mud volcanoes of various sizes, often exhibiting intermittent eruptions. The scale of these eruptions depends on the accumulation pressure of natural gas and mud underground. The areas where mud flows accumulate, after being subjected to rain erosion, create some unique micro-topographies, among which the Big and Small Muddy Waters are the most convenient places to observe mud volcanoes. Mud volcanoes are "pseudo-volcanoes" where underground natural gas and mud are expelled to the surface under high pressure along shallow rock fissures. They are also a type of badland feature. Tianliao is the most developed area of badland terrain and mud volcanoes in Taiwan. The badland landscape formed by the Guting Pit formation mudrock is filled with desolate desert beauty, resembling an unmodified geological and ecological classroom, and has fostered unique products and cuisine. In October 2021, the Kaohsiung City Tourism Bureau held a hot air balloon event along the Love River and in Tianliao's Moon World, which received enthusiastic responses from various sectors, attracting many tourists from different places. This allowed people to satisfy their desire for a pseudo-overseas experience by enjoying the beauty of Kaohsiung. The unique mudrock terrain of the Moon World rivals that of Cappadocia in Turkey, and for the first time in the area, a hot air balloon tethered experience was held, creating breathtaking photographs that sparked widespread inquiries online.
