Iconic Queen’s Head rock in Yehliu Geopark in northern Taiwan is set to undergo a program of repairs initiated by the Tourism Bureau beginning in the near future.
The mushroom rock is suffering from the adverse effects of weather, with erosion reducing the circumference of its thinnest area from 1.44 meters in 2006 to 1.26 meters last year.
“If no action is taken, experts believe Queen’s Head will last only another 50 years,” a bureau official said. “It is imperative the rock remains in its current form and continues making significant economic and educational contributions.”
Citing a three-year study by National Taiwan University, the bureau said nanotechnology-based reinforcement will extend the life of Queen’s Head.
Project leader Hsieh Kuo-huang, a professor from the NTU’s Institute of Polymer Science and Engineering, said once completed, repairs should enable the rock formation to withstand typhoons with a gale force of 17 and earthquakes of magnitude 7.
Hsieh will run a yearlong test on four similar mushroom rocks in the geopark, with the results serving as reference in evaluating the long-term feasibility of the program.
Queen’s Head is the most spectacular sight in Yehliu and often rated a top national tourist draw. Over the past 4,000 years, differential erosion by the sea has given the rock its unique shape, which is said to resemble Queen Elizabeth II from certain angles.